This little piggy went dancing by Margaret Wild

Ill. by Deborah Niland. Allen and Unwin, 2013. ISBN 9781743315118.
(Age: 3-6) Recommended. Picture book. Rhymes. Margaret Wild has used the old favourite nursery rhyme, This little piggy went to market, as the basic pattern for her new read a loud picture book for pre-school children. Any mum or dad, brother or sister, aunt or uncle will get a thrill out of reading this to a younger child, giving all the inflections needed, making sound use of the repetition and the last lines of each double page, inviting the child to join in. As each pig goes dancing, or swimming or splashing amongst other activities, the other four pigs make their presence felt. The second pig always stays home, while the third does something usually involving food, and the fourth has none, while the fifth gets back home somehow (usually noisily).
Great fun is had by all five pigs on each page, and the chirpy, active illustrations accompanying the words will be a treat for all who read the book. The little pig who stays home does a variety of activities, making it no less active than the others, so readers will love working out what it is doing while the others play, eat and walk home. The joy of reading the book out loud, watching what each little pig does, joining in with the lines repeated, predicting what may happen next, along with the charming illustrations make this a must read for pre-schoolers.
Fran Knight