Hog Music

by M.C. Helldorfer

Great Aunt Liza sends a gift to her neice, Lucy, and as the box makes its way west by mail coach, each person who helps to get the package to where it is going adds something else to the box.

Genres: Picture Books, Historical Fiction, American History, School, 2nd Grade, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2000

About the author

Mary-Claire Helldorfer has written numerous books for children and young adults. She lives in Baltimore, MD.

She also writes under the pseudonym of Elizabeth Chandler.

Reviews

[(NS) Panagiota Angelos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hog Music is a story that takes place in the early 19th century. The author’s inspirations for this story were memoirs and letters from women describing their experiences traveling the National Public Road. In the story, Lucy and her parents travel to Illinois in their Conestoga wagon to set up a new home and farm. They leave behind Aunt Liza who refuses to join them because she believes there is “nothing but hog music out there.” As Lucy’s birthday approaches, Aunt Liza purchases a straw hat and sends it in a wooden box with her friend who is headed out west. The trip is bumpy and dangerous and as a result the gift falls out of the stagecoach. However a gentleman finds the gift and overnight his goat nibbles on the hat. Now feeling guilty, the gentleman adds a special gift and hands it off to a wagoner. The journey to reach Lucy continues, but once again the hatbox manages to fall out, but someone manages to find it and adds a gift. This happens several times. Finally the box reaches Lucy and she finds a box full of gifts. She sends a thank you letter to her Aunt Liza who is confused when Lucy thanks her for the numerous gifts. When Lucy informs her Aunt that she only has only one hog and only wind music in Illinois, her Aunt changes her tune and comes to visit Lucy.

I enjoyed following the adventures of the wooden box. The author does a wonderful job keeping the reader on the edge of their seat waiting to find out if Lucy would ever receive her gift. In addition, the dangers of the journey westward are clearly conveyed to the reader. For example the author writes, “The stagecoach headed west-and up and down and left and right. It leaped over rocks and dropped into ruts and swerved around stumps.” This book allows for the students to go on a journey out west and experience another time period. Also, teachers can have fun making predictions with who will find the box next, what might they add to the box, and who will continue the delivery. It would be interesting to ask students what they would put in the box for Lucy. A great book, (with illustrations all students will enjoy), for early elementary (grades K-3) students to explore early nineteenth century transportation and life.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A humorous historical tale about a gift that passes through many hands before meeting its intended recipient.

Veg*n parents note: The National Road was used for many purposes, including the driving of animals to slaughter. This story includes a pig farmer who is herding his pigs "to market."

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny tale of a family moving west, and the gift that is sent to reach them for a birthday.

While the story itself was endearing, it was disjointed. Each page interacts with a new character in the story, which is fun to hear more stories, but the main characters do get a bit lost in the telling. Overall though, an adventurous tale and a glimpse into the "going west" days.

The illustrations are beautiful and fun!

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

For so many reasons I have always loved this children’s book.... the historical picture it paints in my mind, the fun idea of a mailed package ending Up in many different hands who each contribute their own little special item until it finally ends up in the surprised and Delighted hands of the girl for whom it was meant. Darling!

[Mely · Rating 3 out of 5]

funny, silly, and touching all at the same time.

[Catherine]

So cute! I teared up at the end!

[Kelle Treadwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Illinois

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about the travels that a package takes when Aunt Liza mails it to Lucy. The box travels from person to person along the wagon trail. Each person adds their own little gift to the box that originally started off with just a straw hat. Lucy missed her Aunt and when she got the gift, she wrote a letter to her Aunt to thank her. The letter convinces Aunt Liza to take the trip for herself and give Lucy the best gift ever, herself.
The story has a definite plot. The setting changes all along throughout the story as the gift travels to Lucy in Illinois. The characterization could have been a little stronger, but each character is described in enough detail that the reader can figure out who they are. There is an outside omniscient narrator who tells the story. The author definitely brings the setting to life by explaining just how many different modes of transportation took place on the wagon trails across the United States. The characters are very believable for the time period that they are from and they behave in a way that is fitting to the time period. There is not major conflict in the story but the minor conflicts that arise are definitely plausible for the time period that the book is written about. The theme is still relevant for readers today and young readers can see that it fits in our world today.
Overall, I feel that this was a cute story. I learned about the wagon trails when I was in elementary school, but I never really paid attention, but this story helped me piece all of the history back together in a way that was very easy. I feel that this would be a good piece of fiction to use with students when discussing wagon trails and transportation of the past.

[A_Leticia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book is great in representing how life during the nineteenth century developed. A young girl, Lucy, and her family travel from Maryland to Illinois. Along the way, we encounter several travelers moving west along what becomes the National Road that assist in delivering a special gift to Lucy for her birthday from her great Aunt Liza back in Maryland. When Lucy receives her gift, she is so surprised to see all that has become of that special gift. The setting of this story most definitely takes the reader back to the era in which it occurred. The pictures support the text in the plot as it describes how travelers traveled during the nineteenth century; therefore, answering the question of how would people get around before the construction of the National Road. The themes of family and community are depicted within the story. I really enjoyed this picture book, especially the surprise ending!

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would use this book in my future classroom because it is a great example of historical fiction. It teaches its readers about the way mail use to be delivered to people. I think the storyline is really cute and the characters are relate-able to its readers. I think it would be cool if mail still traveled this way, it would make getting mail an adventure. It is a fun way to learn about history!!

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story as much as the kids did. Set in horse/carriage days, a little girl moves away from her aunt. Her aunt sends a bday present, and the present has such an adventure along the way! The illustrations are WONDERFUL. Very realistic animals, and the back has a full index of the animal specifics (30 some different breeds of chickens alone!).

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about the old roads and the way we used to get things to each other. I love that everyone in the story is so ready to get the package to the right person. I love that they all add their own piece of themselves. This road is the road that Davy Crockett, Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln traveled. Coaches, carriages and walking were how people traveled. Neat to think about.

[Heloyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

We may complain about the mail but sending a birthday gift some distance away early in the 19th century took some doing. The adventures of this gift along the National Public Road, prompted the giver to enjoy similar adventures for herself.

[Pam Kossoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met the author at a Passover Seder!

I liked the story: great-aunt places a gift inside hat box for great-niece, the package does not have an easy trip to Illinois but other things get added to it.

[Peggy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely pictures. Sweet, funny story.

[Sarah May · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://littlebooksontheprairie.wordpr...

[Christine Turner]

This book works for an older pre-school storytime and for elementary.

Great Aunt Liza is sending Lucy a birthday gift. She puts it in a wooden box with a latch and gives it to her friend to take west to Lucy by mail coach. And that's where the adventure begins. As the box makes its way across the country by the kindness of strangers, each one adds a token of his or her own to Lucy's present. Over rutted roads, past thousands of hogs and some hungry goats, the box finds its way to Lucy. In M.C. Helldorfer's energetic words and S.D. Schindler's exuberant art, a touching and very funny picture of nineteenth-century life emerges.

Subject: Frontier and pioneer life -- Juvenile fiction
Voyages and travels -- Juvenile fiction
Gifts -- Juvenile fiction.