Ten Dirty Pigs, Ten Clean Pigs: An Upside-Down, Turn-Around Bathtime Counting Book

by Carol Roth, Pamela Paparone (Illustrator)

Count along as ten dirty pigs have a hilariously good time getting squeaky clean, then turn around and, in an equally uproarious fashion, proceed to get filthy dirty again! Children will delight in these high-spirited porkers and in the novelty of this upside-down, turn-around bathtime counting book that makes getting clean just as much fun as getting dirty.

Genres: Picture Books, Counting, Childrens, Number, Mathematics, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1999

Reviews

[j.chestnut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apparently this was my favorite book when I was a toddler. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Ameccuh Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten Dirty Pigs: An Upside-Down, Turn-Around Bath Time Counting Book by Carol Roth, illustrated by Pamela Paparone, is an engaging story that introduces children to counting from 1 to 10 through the playful antics of pigs. The first half of the book shows pigs getting dirtier, while the second half demonstrates them getting progressively cleaner as they take baths. Through this interactive, flip-book format, children practice counting forwards and backwards, introducing them to basic mathematical concepts such as addition and subtraction in a fun, visual way.

This book is an excellent resource for teaching foundational math concepts in elementary classrooms, aligning with strategies in Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally by Van de Walle. Its combination of numerical symbols, visual representations, and scaffolded problem-solving activities supports one-to-one correspondence and number conservation. Educators can extend its use through hands-on activities, such as pig cutout scenarios and creating number stories, to further engage students. The book is especially beneficial for diverse learners, offering strong visual cues and repetitive structures to help English Language Learners and students with special needs grasp mathematical ideas.

[Talycat45 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun book for the little kids who like interacting with their reading. I was a little confused at first, flipping my book around all over the place, but I enjoyed it:) This book is more about counting and possibly opposites instead of making sure you clean your self, but it still provides good knowledge.

[Margaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't judge this book by it's cover. Every time I use this in storytime, the kids are absolutely amazed. The interactive "flip-the-book" story style helps kids see the story from a reverse perspective.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to read bath time themed counting book.

[Regina Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Count along with these ten silly pigs!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fairly ordinary rhyming counting book, with the added twist of being really two books, back to back.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fun love the turning it upside down and reading it the other way

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the fact that this book is two counting stories in one. Count the clean pigs in one half of the book and turn the book over to read about the dirtiest pigs in town. Illustrator Pamela Paparone has given us a lot to look at and talk about with our little guys as we read the text that is full of wonderful vocabulary words like primp and pose, creases and cracks, grit and grime. You can have a good time with this book when kids ask you to read it "again!"

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter loved the dual nature of this book - reading one side, then flipping it over and reading the other. The novelty wore off on me quite quickly, but that was bound to happen after the 10th reading!

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know...this book could go on forever. Seriously. I think the preschool age would find it fun. But they also might find it too young. A great one for counting with toddlers, but I think I'd only do one set of counting to 10. Both sets might be too much.

[Christine Rains · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this one up randomly from the library and my two-year old son can't get enough of it. After three days, he knows it by heart. It's fun that we get the story of ten dirty pigs and then ten clean pigs. Cute illustrations.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good number book about either ten clean pigs or ten dirty pigs. The content and the choices worked very well with the preschool audience during storytime. I was kind of hoping the ten dirty pigs side would have more humorous examples of being dirty. Other than that, a great read.

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

to a younger child's amazement you can flip this over and it's a whole 'nother book in reverse.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are your pre-kindergarten students learning to count to ten? Well this is a neat book to read to them. Have your students count along as you read.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun preschool story time read. The kids liked that the book flipped over. Nothing much to it--a basic counting book--but a fun twist!

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique picture book that tied in well with our bath time Tiny Tots story time. Many items in the bath tub were in our first story (To the Tub).

[Therese Wiese · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice rhyming, cute illustrations. But personally I wish it was two books. I think it is confusing for a kid, as not all books work like this. Having said that, I love it.

[Miss Janis the Storytime Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

fine. ST kids are always intrigued by books that read "differently"

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Counting, rhyming, clean and dirty pigs. short enough to read both ways in storytime.

[Fritz Loehrke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only problem with this book is that you get stuck in an infinite loop from which there is no escape. I'm still reading it for forever and ever and ever even as I write.