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Nature Storybooks
All Pigs Are Beautiful
Oink! Oink! Pigs...beautiful? Who'd have guessed?
Read and Wonder books tell stories, take children on adventures, and reveal how big and WONDER-full the natural world really is.
Read and Wonder books tell stories, take children on adventures, and reveal how big and WONDER-full the natural world really is.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
2 people are currently reading
291 people want to read
About the author
Dick King-Smith
328 books309 followersDick King-Smith was born and raised in Gloucestershire, England, surrounded by pet animals. After twenty years as a farmer, he turned to teaching and then to writing children's books.
Dick writes mostly about animals: farmyard fantasy, as he likes to call it, often about pigs, his special favorites. He enjoys writing for children, meeting the children who read his books, and knowing that they get enjoyment from what he does.
Among his well-loved books is Babe, The Gallant Pig, which was recently made into a major motion picture, and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Dick lived with his wife in a small 17th-century cottage, about three miles from the house where he was born.
Dick writes mostly about animals: farmyard fantasy, as he likes to call it, often about pigs, his special favorites. He enjoys writing for children, meeting the children who read his books, and knowing that they get enjoyment from what he does.
Among his well-loved books is Babe, The Gallant Pig, which was recently made into a major motion picture, and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Dick lived with his wife in a small 17th-century cottage, about three miles from the house where he was born.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
November 4, 2019
A few facts, but mostly just an ode to pigs, not for research papers. But if you're reading Babe: The Gallant Pig or any other King-Smith, you should read this with it. My favorite new fact is that each piglet chooses a particular teat, the same one each time. My favorite picture spread and line is "Pigs can be stubborn, like people, which makes them difficult to herd."
January 14, 2025
This book is exactly what it sounds like. A story book about how all pigs are beautiful! There are pig facts mixed in to this simple story, and I love that there is a real respect for pigs in this book. We learn about pigs from someone who loves and understands them. The narrator shares their experiences bonding with pigs, and the different things pigs do, ways they can look, etc. There are many comparisons to people (biology, temperament, etc.).
Although I personally think about the ways humans exploit and cause great harm and death to the adorable piglets we're learning about (born in litters of 8-12, who each pick their own teat to return to for every feeding), there is not anything actually in the book that refers to slaughter, removing piglets from mothers, or eating pigs at all. This is the kind of book that I wish everyone would read and take to heart (and then base their consumption choices on).
Although I personally think about the ways humans exploit and cause great harm and death to the adorable piglets we're learning about (born in litters of 8-12, who each pick their own teat to return to for every feeding), there is not anything actually in the book that refers to slaughter, removing piglets from mothers, or eating pigs at all. This is the kind of book that I wish everyone would read and take to heart (and then base their consumption choices on).
March 17, 2014
All Pigs are Beautiful is a very sweet book. The author's love of pigs comes across in an endearing way. It is a very accessible non-fiction book, presented almost as fiction. The illustrations are wonderful.
There is no particular storyline, as the book is really a non-fiction book. All Pigs are Beautiful introduces you to many different types of pig and new vocabulary. It is a biased view of pigs, due to the author's fondness for the animals. It is not entirely factual, therefore; the facts are mixed in with opinion.
The book could be used in the book corner of an EYFS or KS 1 classroom. The pictures are beautiful and there are not too many words. It could also be used as a story at the end of the day, for example when an EYFS class were looking at or had an interest in animals. It could serve as a way into non-fiction for very young children, particularly in Nursery.
There is no particular storyline, as the book is really a non-fiction book. All Pigs are Beautiful introduces you to many different types of pig and new vocabulary. It is a biased view of pigs, due to the author's fondness for the animals. It is not entirely factual, therefore; the facts are mixed in with opinion.
The book could be used in the book corner of an EYFS or KS 1 classroom. The pictures are beautiful and there are not too many words. It could also be used as a story at the end of the day, for example when an EYFS class were looking at or had an interest in animals. It could serve as a way into non-fiction for very young children, particularly in Nursery.
July 22, 2013
I really loved this book, but it was a little long for the attention span for my children. I thought it had a lot of good and interesting information by my preschoolers and 5 yr old don't care much for pigs so each page looked somewhat the same to them. You can only say "Oh look! Piggies!" so much and expect the kids to still be interested. But I still really enjoyed it myself and found it interesting, so I plan on bringing this back to the table in the future when they're all a little older.
December 24, 2014
A clever well written and beautifully illustrated book all about facts about pigs.
Reading level 4.3 with a few solid vocabulary words to figure out. A few notes on each page near the pictures give another detail but are in a cursive style font so might throw an early reader off trying to sound out letters.
Reading level 4.3 with a few solid vocabulary words to figure out. A few notes on each page near the pictures give another detail but are in a cursive style font so might throw an early reader off trying to sound out letters.
April 6, 2015
A bit wordy at times but very sweet. You can feel the love the author has for pigs. The illustrations are great!
July 22, 2016
Mr. King-Smith really loves his pigs and that comes across sweetly in this book. We have been raising hogs for years and I still learned a couple of things.
November 23, 2018
Cute cute cute.
March 8, 2020
SUMMARY: An introduction, in brief text and illustrations, to the characteristics and habits of pigs. (verso)
I am rereading a lot of children's books that I encountered years ago to see if they are still what I remember them to be. -- ALL PIGS ARE BEAUTIFUL was on the list from ways back. I first read it when I came across the title after watching the movie BABE. I then read the book BABE which is by the same author of this book, Dick King-Smith (who definitely likes and understands pigs).
The text has a general narrative about pigs in large readable font. The pictures have simple facts under most of them with more information about pigs, however, the font is small and squiggly which may make it harder for young people to read. The star of the book is Monty and 600 pound Large White pig who is more like a pet and likes to have his head scratched. I picked up on lots of things that I didn't remember from previous reads -- Monty has "ten wives" and it talks a lot about baby pigs -- so if you are not ready to talk about where babies come from...I would probably wait on this one.
The most charming thing about the book are the illustrations by Anita Jeram because they bring all of those beautiful pigs to life.
NOTE: I really didn't like the last line of the book --"People can be good looking or just ordinary-looking or plain ugly. But all pigs are beautiful." -- I don't think the use of "plain ugly" was necessary.
FURTHER DISCUSSION -- there was a craze a few years back about having pot-bellied pigs as pets. Could be something to match up with this book. The illustrations show pigs on the farm but there are also lots of illustrations showing people and pigs interacting like pet and owner.
NOTE: This is a title in the READ AND WONDER series. It also has two different covers that I am aware of.
I am rereading a lot of children's books that I encountered years ago to see if they are still what I remember them to be. -- ALL PIGS ARE BEAUTIFUL was on the list from ways back. I first read it when I came across the title after watching the movie BABE. I then read the book BABE which is by the same author of this book, Dick King-Smith (who definitely likes and understands pigs).
The text has a general narrative about pigs in large readable font. The pictures have simple facts under most of them with more information about pigs, however, the font is small and squiggly which may make it harder for young people to read. The star of the book is Monty and 600 pound Large White pig who is more like a pet and likes to have his head scratched. I picked up on lots of things that I didn't remember from previous reads -- Monty has "ten wives" and it talks a lot about baby pigs -- so if you are not ready to talk about where babies come from...I would probably wait on this one.
The most charming thing about the book are the illustrations by Anita Jeram because they bring all of those beautiful pigs to life.
NOTE: I really didn't like the last line of the book --"People can be good looking or just ordinary-looking or plain ugly. But all pigs are beautiful." -- I don't think the use of "plain ugly" was necessary.
FURTHER DISCUSSION -- there was a craze a few years back about having pot-bellied pigs as pets. Could be something to match up with this book. The illustrations show pigs on the farm but there are also lots of illustrations showing people and pigs interacting like pet and owner.
NOTE: This is a title in the READ AND WONDER series. It also has two different covers that I am aware of.
September 23, 2018
Oh man, the title says it all here. All pigs are beautiful. The illustrations show this, the narration shows this...it's all true. Immediately this book tells you that it's non-fiction, because how could anything titled like this be false? If you couldn't tell, I love pigs, and this only made me love them even more. I already knew some of the facts--such as the fact that pigs are actually pretty clean creatures and that they're extremely smart, but I didn't know about all of the different types of pigs there were, and I certainly wasn't aware of some of their habits.
It's a pretty biased book, but I'm also a pretty biased reader. Pigs deserve all the goodness in our hearts.
Review cross-listed here!
It's a pretty biased book, but I'm also a pretty biased reader. Pigs deserve all the goodness in our hearts.
Review cross-listed here!
June 26, 2020
Dick King-Smith, or if you prefer "Dicking Smith!", the man who gave the world Babe the Sheepherder Pig, here cranks out a smaller kids book about his favorite farm animal, the pig. It's a sweet look at a wonderful little creature that oinks and burrows in the ground and simply is just so CUTE! The last line though, kinda has me bothered: "People can be pretty, plain looking or just plain ugly, but all pigs are beautiful." I dunno, it hurts that he finds humans ugly as opposed to pigs. But then us humans tend to call certain other people "pig" in a more negative connotation. Still, piggies are cute, and an important part of the ecosystem. If only we humans didn't hunger for bacon and pork chops. (Oops. That'll do, Ed! That'll do!)
Three stars
King-Smith the king of Pig stories!
Three stars
King-Smith the king of Pig stories!
March 3, 2020
My 3 year old and 6 year old enjoyed this book in equal measures. It is beautifully illustrated with the perfect amount of prose for a bedtime story. It is told by the pig-keep himself. The only reason I wouldn't give it 5 stars is that my children decided they wanted to keep a pet pig in the garden after reading this which most parents including myself couldn't really action.
June 2, 2025
This book included an audio CD. The CD included music extra sound effects the book text and some fun facts about pigs. The illustrations in the book were absolutely adorable. Makes me want to say I love pigs listened/read this library book to my daughter. I had no idea that pigs are generally pregnant for three months three weeks and three days. That’s kind of magical.
March 27, 2019
An educational and fun read containing some very interesting fact about pigs. It tells about their living habits, what they eat, and other facts, that will give the reader insight into what makes up a pig.
July 12, 2017
A love letter to pigs with lots on information about them.
August 18, 2019
Beautiful illustrations
September 3, 2019
A great book. Very interesting
July 20, 2020
Part of Nature Storybooks.
Find notes for teachers about how to use nature storybook at www.walkersbooks.co.uk
Supports KS1 science.
Find notes for teachers about how to use nature storybook at www.walkersbooks.co.uk
Supports KS1 science.
June 1, 2022
Fabulous!
December 4, 2023
Fun - non fiction book with great illustrations.
July 13, 2025
A great book for children.
February 27, 2017
Des illustrations classiques, un coté vintage qui colle bien au sujet et des cochons à gogo ! Que demander de plus ? Vraiment, j’ai aimé l’histoire mélangée à un aspect documentaire. On apprend pas mal de choses sur les cochons !
January 24, 2012
How to present facts about animals in an engaging and entertaining way? Undoubtedly, Dick King - Smith knows how to do it and his book “All Pigs are Beautiful” can be a perfect example. It introduces us to various breeds of pigs and presents their habits in an appealing way. This book contains pure facts about pigs distinguished from the main story by the use of different font and it also presents some funny statements about what pigs may be saying.
“All Pigs are Beautiful” may be used as a guided reading non-fiction book or during story time. It may constitute a basis for a discussion on habits of various animals. Moreover, this book may be used as a stimulus for an activity when children will be asked to find information on other chosen animal and work collaboratively in order to prepare short books about the selected animal.
“All Pigs are Beautiful” by Dick King - Smith is a fantastic resource for a science lesson which makes learning about this particular animal truly enjoyable. Fabulous illustrations just add charm to this appealing book. I would definitely recommend it.
September 23, 2012
This is an exceptional book about Pigs. The story is informative and rich vocabulary and fantastic illustrations. The story is without poetry, rhyme or repetition other than the word pig. However, there are great additional informational texts under the illustrations that can support a child’s understanding of pigs, and nature. This story could be used in a cross-curricular way in the class room in science for helping children to develop knowledge and understanding of animals.
At the end of the book there is an option for the reader to identify which pigs feature on particular pages in the story, which encourage children to use their observational skills to differentiate between pigs and their literacy skills to revisit the names of the pigs. Wonderful resource for teachers as this can also be used to motivate the children to write stories about the things they like or enjoy.
It was a joy to read with my son.
At the end of the book there is an option for the reader to identify which pigs feature on particular pages in the story, which encourage children to use their observational skills to differentiate between pigs and their literacy skills to revisit the names of the pigs. Wonderful resource for teachers as this can also be used to motivate the children to write stories about the things they like or enjoy.
It was a joy to read with my son.
November 24, 2012
Think of a mnemonic to help you remember how to spell 'beautiful'.
Some people might think of pigs as 'monstrous and frightening'. Can you think of words that mean the same as or the opposite of this? -- synonyms and antonyms.
Make a shape poem about a pig, in the shape of a pig (see Resources below).
Think of some thought / speech bubbles for the pigs in the illustrations.
Some people might think of pigs as 'monstrous and frightening'. Can you think of words that mean the same as or the opposite of this? -- synonyms and antonyms.
Make a shape poem about a pig, in the shape of a pig (see Resources below).
Think of some thought / speech bubbles for the pigs in the illustrations.
January 20, 2009
I love pigs, so of course I loved this picture book! Sometimes it seems like there's too much text for younger kids, but the illustrations are almost unbearably cute so I think that makes up for too much text on some pages.
February 7, 2011
636.4 KING-SMITH
A nonfiction book written in a picture book style. The picture book story line has is beautifully detailed drawings. On the same page with the story, their is another picture with handwritten words that tell a tidbit about pig life. Great for young readers.
A nonfiction book written in a picture book style. The picture book story line has is beautifully detailed drawings. On the same page with the story, their is another picture with handwritten words that tell a tidbit about pig life. Great for young readers.
January 24, 2012
I learned that pigs cover themselves in mud as a form of sunscreen...to protect against sunburn. I didn't know that. I also learned that piglets always nurse from the same mother's teat, they claim it at birth. Didn't know that before either.
February 27, 2012
I gave this book a star because I felt I had to at least give one. I mean, who compares people to pigs, with pigs coming out on top. I must say this book provided a great opportunity for us to discuss what really matters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews