Little piggy's got no moves by Phillip Gwynne and Eliza McCann

Ill. by Tom Jellett. Little Hare, 2013. ISBN 9781921894251.
(Age: 3+) Warmly recommended. Picture book, Dancing, Confidence, Having a go. In repetitive and rhythmic lines, the story is laid out. The Pig Family has no moves - they cannot dance at all. Grooving, moving, boogeying, even the hokey pokey - all beyond them. The other animals try their hardest to get Little Piggy to try out on the dance floor at the school social, but he resists, saying the family mantra, that piggies have no moves. But the music takes over and his feet begin to tap, then twirl, then cha cha, then rumba, then tango, then disco, going through all the dance moves there are, much to the delight of his family and the other animals.
An infectious look at trying something new, of not being hampered by what people have said in the past, or restrictions placed upon you, the story encourages children to 'have a go', to try something new, developing the confidence to be different.
Jellett's illustrations add another level of humour to the tale, showing the wonderful Pig Family in all their finery going along to the social, but being content to watch from the sidelines. There is always much to seek out in Jellett's work: the patterns used for the clothing, the different styles of housing, the subtle touches of a time past with the hopper windows and the TV chair, the divans, and bare floor boards at the school hall.
The combination of the three authors is a winning one.
Fran Knight