What This Story Needs Is a Pig in a Wig (Pig in a Wig Series)

by Emma J. Virjan, Emma J. Virjan (Illustrator)

Overview

“A story with the echoes of Seuss and Willems.”— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A boatload of giggles will keep the reader returning for more easy-to-read fun.”— Kirkus Reviews

The first book in the vibrant and laugh-out-loud funny early reader What This Story Needs series is perfect for fans of Dr. Seuss and Mo Willems!

What this story needs is a pig in a wig, on a boat in a moat with a frog, a dog, and a goat on a log...

As a panda in a blouse, a skunk on a trunk, and more hop on board, it becomes clear that what this story really needs is a bigger boat! Join Pig on an exciting boat ride as she discovers that life is more fun with friends in this fantastic, funny read-aloud about friendship.

What this reader needs are all the books in the series!

• What This Story Needs Is a Hush and a Shush
• What This Story Needs Is a Munch and a Crunch
• What This Story Needs Is a Bang and a Clang
• What This Story Needs Is a Vroom and a Zoom

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062327246
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/12/2015
Series:	Pig in a Wig Series
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	643,066
Product dimensions:	6.75(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Emma J. Virján was born under an Aries moon on a Wednesday, her dad’s bowling night. She loves to draw and work in her garden, and she often lets her dog sleep on the couch. She makes her home in Austin, Texas, where she spends her days as an illustrator and graphic designer. Unlike Pig, Emma has never worn a wig, but she is thinking of buying one—a red one, of course. Visit her at \ www.emmavirjan.com.

Emma J. Virján was born under an Aries moon on a Wednesday, her dad’s bowling night. She loves to draw and work in her garden, and she often lets her dog sleep on the couch. She makes her home in Austin, Texas, where she spends her days as an illustrator and graphic designer. Unlike Pig, Emma has never worn a wig, but she is thinking of buying one—a red one, of course. Visit her at \ www.emmavirjan.com.

Editorial Reviews

With its frequent use of sight words and a story line that builds on itself, this is a great choice for absolute beginners and—bonus!—it has a true story arc, with a plot about friendship and cooperation. Searching for pig snouts hidden in the illustrations is an added delight.

The New York Times Book Review - Laura Lutz

★ 03/02/2015
In a story with echoes of Seuss and Willems, Virján (Nacho the Party Puppy) offers a very funny lesson about the unreliability of narrators. “What this story needs,” the unseen narrator declares, “is a pig.” Fair enough: the pig, pink and drawn in a naïve cartoon style, appears in a spotlight. When the narrator decrees that the pig don a red bouffant wig and climb in a boat in a moat “with a frog,/ a dog,/ and a goat on a log,” the pig goes along with the plan, though it’s clear dubiousness is setting in. But when the narrator keeps adding so many rhyming characters and objects that it imperils everyone on board the tiny pink ship, the pig finally speaks up. “Hey!” she calls out, “It’s getting crowded in here, don’t you think?/ Off of this boat before we all sink!” Taking control of the narration, the pig sends the other animals packing, but the final scene sets things right while tipping its hat to a classic line from Jaws. Ages 4–8. Agent: Edite Kroll, Edite Kroll Literary Agency. (May)

Publishers Weekly

In a story with the echoes of Seuss and Willems, Virjan offers a very funny lesson about the unreliability of narrators.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A boatload of giggles will keep the reader returning for more easy-to-read fun.” — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

05/01/2015
Toddler-PreS—With its engaging word families and rhyming text, this circular narrative will delight fans of Laura Joffe Numeroff's If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (HarperCollins, 2005) and Mo Willems's "Elephant and Piggy" books (Hyperion). A pig in a wig is on a boat in a moat, where she picks up a frog, a dog, and a goat on a log. More animals are added to the mix, until Pig declares, "Hey!/It's getting crowded/in here,/don't you think?/Off of this boat/before we all sink!" One by one they disembark until she is the only one left on the boat. A spread in muted blue tones enforces the mood as readers view Pig all alone in her tiny boat. She realizes that she would rather have all her friends with her, so as the text states, "What this story needs now is…" a bigger boat appears that will hold everyone. Crisp, vibrant drawings are rendered in charcoal and painted digitally, creating an intensity that will draw children to the story. The composition is creative, with pig-themed elements appearing throughout: pink snouts cover the endpapers, a pig pulls part of a boat onto the title page, and the back cover shows Pig and her friends peeking over the jacket flap as she says, "Hey, Let's Play!" VERDICT This is a charming story to share one-on-one or in a storytime.—Melissa Smith, Royal Oak Public Library, MI

School Library Journal

2015-02-23
One pig, one boat, and a lot of passengers add up to one hilarious voyage. The opening spread presents one pink pig under a spotlight. Her beady eyes look right at the reader as she says, "What this story needs is a pig." Apparently a pig is not enough—the story needs a pig in a wig, an oversized red wig. So begins this over-the-top rhyming romp of a pig in a boat, in a moat, with a frog and a dog and a goat (on a log—in the boat!). Soon a rat, an elephant, a skunk, a house, a mouse, and a panda threaten to sink the little pink rowboat, forcing the pig to send some of the critters packing. Bright, saturated digital colors are the order of the day, adding extra humor to the tale. Easy rhymes make the story simple to predict and memorize for new readers, and the bright white typeface is clear on the dark backgrounds. Carefully chosen, easily decoded words ensure that beginning readers will find instant success here. The slowly filling boat and ridiculous situation add to the fun. Observant readers will enjoy finding the pig snouts drawn on the boat's prow and hidden in many of the spreads. Even the endpapers are filled with them. There's not much of a story here, but a boatload of giggles will keep children returning for more easy-to-read fun. (Early reader. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews