Mary Had a Little Ham

by Margie Palatini, Guy Francis (Illustrator)

Stanley Snoutowski has always been a precocious piggie-and Mary has always encouraged her little ham. In the barn and even at school (where Stanley followed her, even if it was against the rules), Stanley shows star quality. Mary knows she can't keep him down on the farm, so off he goes to the bright lights of Broadway. The days of cattle calls and nights of waiting tables are rough on the runt, but he perseveres. He knows that with hard work, determination-and a bit of luck-someday he'll play the ultimate Hamlet. This is a laugh-out-loud story of a determined pig and the little girl who believes in him.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2003

Reviews

[Cathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, funny story about a little pig named Stanley who has a desire to become a stage performer. This one is for bigger kids to understand the story and to get some of the plays on words, but even little kids would enjoy the fun illustrations. The best part of the book for me was the very end, with some wonderful Broadway-like posters for Hamadeus, The Loin King, Beauty and the Bacon, Pigmalion,
South Pigcific, Pork Chop on a Hot Tin Plate (not quite Liz Taylor and Paul Newman but pretty funny), The Pig and I, and Oinklahoma. And let's not forget Shakespeare's Hamlet. Guy Francis's illustrations are wonderful!

[Mrs. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit beyond the target audience—requires a lot of stopping to explain what phrases mean, which starts to kill the story...”there was no keeping Stanley on the farm just doing summer stock”...”cattle calls”...producers Hoggers and Hammerswine...Oinklahoma...The Loin King...Pork Chop on a Hot Tin Plate...

[Heather Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mary Had a Little HamGuy Francis this was an okay book fun for kids to read

[Nicole Thiboutot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a great book for kids. it's a fun book with good illustrations and it also has a great message behind it, don't give up, and don't let people change who you are which I think is important to teach kids at a young age.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story. Could do without so many jokes about pigs being meat products....but cute story with a "you can do it" message.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little too text heavy for my preschoolers, but this one is a TON of fun! Highly recommended!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too funny & punny. Worth picking up from your library just for the image of 'cattle calls' and for the spread of theater posters including ones for "Hamadeus" and "South Pigcific."

[Leann · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fun! Really enjoyable for adults as well as the kiddos being read to!

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolute delight.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chock full of puns and tongue-in-cheek humor, it is a great story about believing in yourself and having a good friend to encourage you.

[Renee MA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Had a Little Ham is jam-packed with clever puns and idioms.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is absolutely snoutstanding! I love all the little puns and one-liners in this book. I think I may have enjoyed it even more than a younger child would enjoy it! Mary's pet pig, or ham, Stanley Snoutowski is living anything but the average fairytale when he decides to pursue his acting and singing dreams and move to NYC to make it big. Unfortunately, like most ordinary people, Stanley faces rejection after rejection before deciding to serve tables at a hamburger joint. It isn't until Stanley is singing 42nd St. during his cab driving shift that he gets discovered by Hoggers and Hammerswine who turn him into a instant star with his debut in "HAMlet". The illustrations are adorable and entertaining. I love how much character and energy the images have and I find myself laughing every time I turn the page. This book would definitely bring anyone up and is a quick and easy read. The bright colors and full bleed illustrations make this book a good read-aloud or independent read. I can already picture the great voices I am going to use as I read this story to my second graders!

[Taurean Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title suggests, this is a retelling of the vintage nursery rhyme “Mary Had A Little Lamb” but recast to star a pig by the name of Stanley Snoutowski who leaves his home on the farm to chase the siren song of stardom.

Illustrator Guy Francis left nothing to chance, using every page spread from cover to cover, crease to corner, and dedication to end papers, to invoke the spirit of Old Hollywood at it’s best.


While also depicting the lows of our swine-tastic protagonist on his way from humble beginnings to the big time, part of which is chronicled via the old school snail mail between, and his girl, named, you guessed it–Mary, alongside Margie’s spare but effective prose.


Classic movie buffs and starry eyed thespians alike will find much humor and unabashed optimism abound in “Mary Had A Little Ham.”

On that note: Here’s looking at you, Stanley!

-An abridged version of the original review from TalkingAnimalAddlicts.com

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first came across this while substituting in a kindergarten classroom. It is hilarious! Even those not well-versed in the theatre world will appreciate the myriad of clever puns taking center stage in this light-hearted story of an extremely talented and lovable pig. Unfortunately much of the humor will fly over the heads of its intended audience. This is definitely a case where adults will be better able to appreciate the espoused wit.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love theater you will go hog wild! ( Oopsie, sorry-ha, Pun intended! ) If you love Palatini you will be pig, erhhhhh, I mean a big fan of this book. It is about a little oinkers quest for Stage stardom. Hilarious! Lots of pig puns! I loved the back cover where it has all these Broadway show musical titles rewritten in pig terms, such as, "South Pigcific"-hahahhahahah! This is one of my most cherished books.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A twist to the typical Mary had a little lamb story. This time Mary has a pig who has some serious talent! The author chooses his words well by using "pig" words in order to change the meaning of a sentence. When the pig becomes popular on Broadway, all the plays have different names that resemble pig-related words. I enjoyed that Mary continued to encourage the pig throughout the entire book and to let him know that he was talented no matter what other people said about him.

[Josephine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes punny language to a new level. It has jokes for the children it’s written for and for the adults who read it to them. The plays on words rise puns to its best level, or maybe its worse. If you don’t enjoy puns and think it’s a bunch of hogwash, then this book isn’t for you, and that’s no baloney.

[Greta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very witty and fun. Great pig puns.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a funny book.

[Rose]

E Pal

[K Baxter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Storytime: Farms, Pigs, Acting, Food, Self-Confidance, friends
Words like Spigtacular, Snoutstanding,

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the top cute! I couldn't help laughing. The illustrations are wonderful too.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so much fun! A lot of wonderful theatrical puns and jokes. A good story for both the young and old lovers of theatre and picturebooks.

[Elizabeth S · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book probably every pig pun ever invented, plus a few more. Also many references to show business. Perhaps funnier for adults!

[Cathy Mealey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Porker puns galore

[Stacie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cheesy pig word play. Needed editing. Not horrible though.

[K Morlando · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary did not have a little lamb, she had a Ham who turned out to be a theater star...

[Seannnn Bush]

GREAT BOOK WON 1ST WITH IT!