How Big Is a Pig?

by Clare Beaton, Stella Blackstone

How big is a pig? To find out, follow in the footsteps of a cheerful piglet as he takes you on a trail around the farmyard. You will meet beasts, birds, and insects of all shapes and sizes, until at last you come to a big surprise in the pigsty. With a clever, repetitive text, How Big Is a Pig? offers a gentle and humorous way of introducing pre-school children to all kinds of opposites.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Storytime, Mathematics, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published August 16, 2000

About the author

Clare Beaton illustrates in felt, pen and ink, and paper collage.

Reviews

[Ilias]

LISTEN: this is silly but: there is a real + good answer to this question which is: "much bigger than you expect given, among other things, the pictures in this book!!!"

The illustrations are very nice, but the book never answers the question of how big a pig is!!! Children should know!!!

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has lots of rhyme which creates a fast pace and features many repetitive questions which encourage thinking amongst the audience. The illustrations are quirky as they look as though they’re made from material and stitching, therefore it could be used to inspire a sewing project in DT/Art. It also links to science as it goes through characteristics of many familiar animals. It’s suitable for FS and KS1 children. I found the ending a little disappointing as the questions about how big is a pig ran through the whole book but then it just said that ‘some pigs are big; some pigs are small’ so it wasn’t the most rewarding or exciting story.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

A confusing book that will distract you with various animals (including a zombified horse) but then return to the dizzying question: How big is a pig? Geez, I don't know. They're different sizes, right? But, how big is a pig? Again and again. Why are we here? How big is a pig? Why do we laugh? Is there a god? How big is a pig? It's like that, but you know what? I'm tired of jumping down the rabbit hole, man. Sometimes I just want to read a nice, little story, you know? This one is far too heavy.

[Bea · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pointless story, it has decent pictures and the text is moderately rhythmic.

[Mayra Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book to read to a child around the age of 3 and up. This book talks bout different farm animals and a baby pig looking for his mommy pig. An easy book to read.

[Hannah Richardson]

In this book, the narrator goes through many different animals you would find on a farm saying some (insert animal here) are like this and some are like that. The describing words are usually opposites. Then, the narrator goes on to ask the audience, "but how big is a pig?" Many different animals are mentioned in this book like cows, dogs, and cats.

This was a cute book. I really liked how it rhymed and I think young kids would find this book amusing because of all the different types of animals. The illustrations are adorable as well, which just makes it that much more fun to read.

This would be a good book for teaching a lesson on opposites or rhyming in a young elementary classroom.

[Haylieboyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

you can make so many different props to really make this story come to life! this story would be a great transition to small groups for math. you can set up a lab have your student use different measurement tools to measure different sized pigs.

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Younger children love this book! It has a simple rhyming structure with opposites (some horses are old, some horses are young...etc). Delightfully illustration with fabric, buttons and beads - loads of detail. The ending always makes me smile. Perfect for younger children.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the felt-looking art and the rhymes. Good repetition of the question “how big is a pig?” The end has left me wanting. A little abrupt without much of an answer to the question except “my mom is a pig too and she’s is big”

[Mary Peble · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't quite understand why, but my one-year-old *loves* this book and insists I read it over and over, repeatedly, in the same sitting. The type of illustration is eye-catching.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

many animals are shown in opposite pairings with the tag line how big is a pig till the question is anwered at the end. preschool and up. felt pictures

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple board book with decent rhymes. Pictures look like they are sewn on a quilt. Shows opposites for kids to compare and a variety of farm animals. Seems cute to me but nothing special to me.

[Spinster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cheesy text but the pictures are great.

[Caontie McNeal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fun to read one, it can be used to teach young children about animals and rhyming. I thought that it was a short read but interesting enough to keep the children's attentions.

[Denalyn Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not super impressed. Can be used for teaching rhyming and repetition, but that is really all there is to it. New readers only. No story line.

[Yaricsa Lizama · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about a very curious pig. It is a very easy book to read. It includes a lot of repetition.

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are the highlight of this book. The text and rhyming and plot are all just average. But the illustrations stitched out of felt and beads and yarn are pretty fascinating.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used for Pig Storytime. Very cute romp through the barnyard to talk about farm animals & their sounds.

[Lupe Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Spanish book. Good to use to teach farm animals

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The felt art illustrations are cool, but it really bugged me that the order of the illustrations was backwards on most pages.

[Sarah Christensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review of this book, complete with photographs, can be found on my website by clicking here.

Honestly, we love this book. Clare Beaton is a very talented illustrator - everything we've seen her do is fantastic. The rhyme is simple and captivating, so this book easily holds my baby's attention when we read it aloud to her. Best of all, it is very cute. Anybody with a small child knows that you will have to read the same book five billion times over. If you're stuck doing that, it ought to be pretty to look at and pleasant to read. This book fits the bill.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

How Big Is a Pig incorporates rhyming and animals into this book while trying to answer one big question: How big is a pig? Because as the book says-we know some cows are thin and some are fat, but how big is a pig? We know some dogs are quick and some are slow, but how big is a pig? In the end, we find that some pigs are big and some pigs are small, but the mama pig is biggest of all!

The ending of this book made no sense. Which, in turn, makes the whole book kind of not make sense. I love that the illustrations were made in felt with braid, beads, and sequins, but besides that, this book didn't have much to offer. I wouldn't recommend this particular book.

[RLL22016_Yolanda Cedillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book I'd recommend because it has so much color and variety to it that catches anyone's eye especially a child's eye. This book is simple to read to a child and simple for a child to read. One great thing about this book is that it rhymes and children love rhymes. This book also relates to so many farm animals, so it is easy to read when teaching a lesson on farm animals. Another great suggestion I would have when reading this book, is that it is so simple to make this book come to life, and have children make the animals that are in this book with arts and crafts. This is a great book to share with younger children.

[Abigail Schepps · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book, especially for young children. I even enjoyed it, and I'm a college student! I read it for a children's lit class I'm in, and me and my classmates had a great time reading it. I loved the clever way the illustrations were portrayed, by using felt animals and backgrounds to depict the story.
The whole plot was adorable, and the end was a very funny, and amusing twist. The text was easy to follow and very well-written for a young audience. The whole book rhymed and there was humor strewn throughout. I think it is a marvelous book, and if I enjoyed it this much, then young children will probably love it even more.

[Amy_Read to My Heart's Content · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just read this to my 3 year old and 7 year old! My 3 year old was glued to the pages the whole time helping repeat the question, "But how big is a pig?"

The words are easy to read and it is a like a little trip on a farm. The illustrations are so cute! It looks like little felt pieces put together to make different animals!

If you have a preschooler or even a elementary school child I think this is a cute book and great for those learning to read.

This is one of our Summer Reading books: check our list at : www.superreadingkids.blogspot.com

[Joann Aubain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very engaging cognitively and physically. Cognitively the book demonstrates different sizes and shapes as the pig journeys to find out how big is a pig. Also the fact that the book has felt material is a big plus, where the children engages physically through the sense of touch.

A learning experience I would do is have different pictures of animals and a board that is divided into three columns. I would then discuss with the children to identify if the animal is small, medium or large.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose to read this book for my project because I have read it many times to my preschoolers and they love it. This book is well written and allows the reader to find and make the comparisons of the animals in the farm. It is a good book for reading beginners. The illustrations are very interesting and not like normal picture books. The illustrations look like they have texture and dimension. This book is good for young children and readers between the ages of three and six.

[Lake · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was on the bookshelf by the time I was reading to my youngest brother. I'd say he was about 3.

I read it a couple of times, but due to the book's repetitive nature, he got bored quick. I started reading it in a goofy voice and replaced all of the words like so...
"HOW BIG IS A PIGGY!? Is it as big as a... Cow?"
"HOW BIG IS A PIGGY!? Is it as big as a... Horse?"

He'd ask me to read it every night after that. It made the book a lot shorter too; Bonus!

[Maritza · Rating 4 out of 5]

How big is a pig? Thi is a very nice book I love the details in the lustrations. The content is great to compair different characteristics from differents kind of animals.This book is good to read to young childrens and develop good reading skills because the size of the sentences. This are clear and short.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through a rhyming about different kinds of opposites, Some cows are thin, some cows are fat, one skinny and one is plum. But how bis is a pig?
Children will learn about opposites and animals in this book, while they have fun playing with all of the characters that teacher will created on a felt board.