Pig and Small

by Alex Latimer

Two very different friends learn how to enjoy each other's company in this hilarious story about finding common ground.

Pig and Bug just want to be friends. But their size difference is proving to be a problem. Pig wants to play games, but Bug is too small. Bug wants to make things for his friend, but Pig is too big!

Just as they've given up all hope for their friendship, Pig has an idea... But will it work?

Pig and Small is another hilariously quirky tale from Alex Latimer, filled with visual puns and wordplay. Latimer combines his bold visual style with an entertaining tale about finding new ways to enjoy friendship.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Animals, Childrens, Humor, Storytime, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 27, 2014

About the author

Alex Latimer lives near the border of a national park so when not writing or drawing, he spends his free time shooing baboons out of his lounge. The Boy Who Cried Ninja is his first book for children. He lives in South Africa.

Reviews

[Tracy P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Pig and Small' is an adorable children's book about the budding friendship between a pig and a bug. Written by Alex Latimer - with excellent illustrations - this sweet children's book proves that size truly doesn't matter what it comes to friendship. Even though there may be some things Pig and Bug cannot enjoy together, there are many more they can - if you just look. Recommend.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pig and Bug would like to be friends, but they find their size differences keeps getting in the way. Can they possibly find common ground . . . without Bug getting squished?



Very cute story with bright, cheerful illustrations. AND, I love how they both wear sweaters.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cerdito se encuentra de repente que le pica el morro; hasta que repara que es debido a una cucaracha con la que entablará amistad.
Esta original y divertidísima obra infantil es toda una delicia. Explora y desarrolla de modo singular y notablemente logrado, que la verdadera amistad supera todos los límites.
Todo un descubrimiento, incluso para relectura.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pig's morning starts off with his nose squeaking. It had never squeaked before. He looks up Squeaky Nose Syndrome in a book but doesn't find an entry. Finally, Pig takes a closer look at his nose. Standing on the end of it is a small bug, squeaking and waving like crazy. Pig can tell Bug wants to be friends. The things, however, Pig wants to do are too big and hard for Bug. Bug's activities are too small for Pig. Just when they have decided their friendship will not work, Pig gets slapped in the face by a wind blown newspaper. In the listings is the advertisement for a movie. Pig and Bug have found something they can do together. Soon they find other activities they can do, such as the theater, the art gallery, the zoo and laying out on the beach. Size doesn't matter to friendship.

This is a humorous look at friendship and size. The cartoon-like illustrations are bright and colorful. The bubble comments add humor to the text. The story highlights the importance of finding common ground in friendship. I like the last statement in the book: "They forgot that one of them was big and the other was small -- best friends don't care about silly things like that."

[Storywraps · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tiny, microscopic bug lands on Pig's snout and he can't figure out for the life of him what that squeaky sound is or where it is coming from. He finally discovers the source...a small bug who wants to be BBF's. Pig has his doubts about the relationship but decides to give it a whirl despite their differences in size. He dives head first into planning activities that both he and Bug may enjoy. He pulls out his tandem bike but realizes he is doing most of the pedalling. He decides that chess is the game to play, but bug is so small he cannot manipulate the chess pieces for his move, and Pig falls asleep waiting for his turn. Not to be spurned from this budding friendship, Bug takes a turn at being activity manager. He bakes Pig a cake and decorates it lovingly. To Bug's dismay Pig opens his mouth wide and downs the cake in one gulp not even looking at the fine design and decorations. Bug then knits his new friend a sweater, exactly like his, but when he offers it up to Pig he realizes it is way, way to small for his friend.

Finally they mutually agree that perhaps this friendship was not meant to be and go their separate ways. As Pig is departing, a very strange thing happens...a newspaper hits him right in the face. You know the old song, "The answer my friend is blowing in the wind...." well that is exactly what happened. Pig gets inspired from that paper and is more than willing to make a change and make this friendship work. By being creative and sensitive to the size and needs of each other, both Pig and Bug find a way to hang out, enjoy each other's company and share their interests despite their obvious differences. Just as all their problems are solved and things are going well, in walks Elephant and wants to be their friend too. Sizing up the situation before them, both Pig and Bug agree size doesn't matter ..... so hello Mr. Elephant .... come aboard, there's always room for one more.

The illustrations are comical and witty. The word bubbles give the text more spice and humour. No matter what your size this is a one size fits all book that will be enjoyed again and again. It is a wonderful read for individuals or for a small group situation. I highly recommend this book.

[Kaethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pig and Small (I do not like those names for a pig and a bug, unspecified) find it difficult to do some things together, but then they discover other things that they can do together just fine. As an adult the lesson feels a little too pointed, but I did enjoy the resolution.

Library copy

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Pig hears a squeaking coming from his nose, at first he thinks that something is wrong with him, until he discovers that the noise is coming from a tiny bug. The two creatures decide to become friends, but find that sharing fun activities is a challenge, when one is so small and the other so big. Finally though, just as they are about to give up on the idea of friendship, they find something that they can do together...

The second picture-book I have read from South African author/illustrator Alex Latimer, following upon his Never Follow a Dinosaur , Pig and Small pairs an engaging story about friendship with bright, colorful artwork. I appreciated the message implicit in the story here, that very different people (or animals, as the case may be) can become friends, even if they are very different from one another. Recommended to Latimer fans, and to anyone looking for children's stories about friendship.

[Kristi Betts · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Pig and Small, written and illustrated by Alex Latimer, we find that size doesn't matter when it comes to being a friend. When Pig wakes up one morning, he discovers his nose has started to squeak. Everywhere he went and everything he did he heard the squeak coming from his nose. Since Pig is so smart, he decided to look up Squeaky Nose Syndrome, not on the Internet but in a BOOK! [Way to go Pig!!!] There were all kids of Squeaky Syndromes: Squeaky Esophagus Syndrome, Squeaky Mouth Syndrome, even Squeaky Pants Syndrome, but no Squeaky Nose Syndrome. Finally Pig decided to take a closer look at his snout. It was then he discovered the cause of his squeak...a tiny bug who was "waving and squeaking like crazy!"

The unlikely duo try to build a friendly relationship by riding bikes or playing chess. They quickly find these activities to be too difficult because of their size. Pig reads about a movie and realizes it is something the two friends can do together. After the movie they discover a number of places and things they can enjoy together, for instance an art gallery, the theater, and even a relaxing trip to the beach. A fun twist at the end emphasizes one of my favorite quotes from the book, "They forgot that one of them was big and the other was small best friends don't care about silly things like that."

For those familiar with some of Latimer's other picture books (The Boy Who Cried Ninja, Penguin's Hidden Talent, and Lion vs. Rabbit), you will not be disappointed. Each of his books not only has wonderfully detailed illustrations created with pencil drawings which are then digitized and finished with color and texture, but they also convey a life lesson for young children. Pig and Bug find their friendship is worth putting time and effort into their relationship. Discovering what you have in common and like to do together can be a challenge, especially when there is such a large size difference, however true friendship is worth the struggle in the end.

[Sara Grochowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pig and Bug are very unlikely friends. After all, Pig is big and Bug is small. They try doing things together, like playing chess (Pig falls asleep while Bug is making his move) and playing hide and seek (Bug always finds Pig right away, but Bug takes hours to find), but their size makes things difficult. But then, Pig has a brilliant idea! With a little bit of thinking, Pig and Bug find all sorts of activities they can enjoy together. PIG AND SMALL wonderful, funny story about friendship and overcoming differences.

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pig and Small by Alex Latimer is a picturebook about how two very different people can look past differences and become great friends. Pig thinks he is sick, he keeps hearing a squeak from his snout and cannot figure out just what is going out. Soon he discovers that he is not sick, the squeak is coming from a little bug that wants to be his friend. The pair try out a series of their favorite activities and find that their sizes make some games hard to play together. However, with a little persistence the pair discover that they have quite a bit in common and become the best of friends.

Pig and Small is a fun picturebook that offers laughs as well as a couple good lessons. Some of the activities, like hide and seek or chess, that Pig and Small attempt to play together are obviously not going to work and are giggle worth via the text and illustrations used to describe the level of failure there. However, there are two lessons here that I think are important for us to teach our kids, and to be reminded of ourselves. The first is the most obvious lesson, that the physical aspects of others is not what makes them friend worthy, rather it is personality and interests that connect people. Secondly, I think the story offers up the idea that not all friendships are instant fits, like all great relationships it might take a little bit of effort to come together, but it will be worth it when you find that connection. I love it!

I highly recommend Pig and Small, not just because of the lessons. The word choices and illustrations are charming and well-paired. I simply enjoyed the read and only considered the depth of the lessons now that I look back and try to put my enjoyment of the book into words.

[Mary Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pig And Small by Alex Latimer was a cute book that also carried a life lesson. Pig and Bug meet when Pig sees Bug sitting on the end of his nose, squeaking. Pig is relieved when he see this because he was afraid there was something wrong with his nose. Pig knew his nose had never squeaked before and thought it might be diseased. Finding Bug making all the racket was a relief to Pig and the two tried to become friends. They tried doing activities they both enjoyed (tandem bike riding and playing chess) but those activities didn’t work out very well. They finally found something they could do together (watching a movie) and then they found other things they enjoyed doing together.

The lessons learned were that although people may look different there are still things that they have in common. And you can be friends with others that are different than you. While reading this to my five year old granddaughter, she was asking me questions and worrying that they couldn’t be friends. This gave me the perfect opportunity to talk to her about these things. She was learning a life lesson while she was enjoyed listening to a story read to her. What more could I ask for from a book!

The words were easy for her to understand and the illustrations were quite cute. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an entertaining book, with lessons to be learned, to read to their child.

[Psusan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you do when your friend is so different from you? Pig and Small by Alex Latimer is a delightful, amusing look on how to find common interests with such a friend. I feel that the beginning problems that they have served to make the activities that worked for Pig and Bug seem more creative. However, they really were not. All the activities were good ones, some worked and some did not, much like life.

The real lesson here is the importance of not giving up but continuing to seek solutions to friendship problems. This book lends itself for discussion with young children about friendship. The fact that these characters are endearing animals just increased the interest my grandchildren had in the book. While we did not do a lot of discussion since they are very young, they were very happy Pig and Bug stayed friends. Of course, they wanted it read again and again.

Personally, I loved the ending; you can never have too many friends! How this would work out is what the kids wanted to know. Sure to become a favorite, so I’ll need to get a hard bound copy now.

NetGalley provided a copy for an honest review.

[Dirty Dayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Squeaking stars

I received a copy of this via netgalley and Peachtree Publishers

This book is a short cutely illustrated book about how friendship doesn’t always appear to make sense at first. Relationships are more than what is on the outside.
Pig and Bug learn to understand what they can do together instead of what just one person likes to do.
The illustrations are adorable!

[Erin Buhr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book immediately reminded me of Horton and The Who’s even though it is much less dramatic and there is no whoville. The characters and the heart are warm and lovely.

This is the story of a pig who discovers a little bug squeaking on the end of his nose. It takes a little while but eventually they figure out how to be friends despite some obvious differences.

I love the silly but honest exploration of friendship and differences. There are very real themes explored in a story that is playful and cheerful. A wonderful read aloud.

*note I received a copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

[Alexandria Whitaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very wholesome book about finding things that you have in common with your friends. Sometimes, there are restrictions to what you and someone can do together, like in this book, Pig couldn’t wear the sweater Bug knitted for him because it was too tiny, etc. But they were able to find things they both enjoyed, like going to the aquarium, watching movies, eating out at a restaurant, etc. This book teaches kids a valuable lesson about how you can be friends with anyone, because you will usually always find something in common.

[Presley Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pig and Small is a delightful picture book that tells the story of an unlikely friendship between Pig and Bug. Despite their size differences, they are determined to be friends. However, their attempts to do things together—like playing games or sharing clothes—often lead to humorous challenges. Through perseverance and creativity, they discover that with a little imagination, they can enjoy each other's company.

[Eme87 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Becoming friends can be hard. It is hard to remember how to make a friend and figure out what things you can do together. But once you figure it out and start doing fun things together, it opens up a whole world of possibilities.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pig starts squeaking and finds the cause--a small bug who wants to be friends. After many failed attempts of finding things to do together, Pig and Small find common ground. I like the progression of their friendship.

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The kids liked it. Kindergartners got a kick out of the title. Helps them see things from another's perspective. And again, you gotta love a book that ends with a setup for the next thing that might happen.

[Kate M. Colby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the second book at story time at the Oxford Public Library today, and Jack mostly listened to it. He sat on my lap and played with the egg shaker and made oinking sounds. I think it counts well enough.

[Axl Mendoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pig and Small by Alex Latimer is a funny story about a pig and a tiny bug who become friends despite their big size difference. In the classroom, it could be used to spark discussions about friendship, problem-solving, and how differences can make relationships more interesting rather than harder.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just because we're different doesn't mean we don't have things in common! Can't argue with that :) the end.

[Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friendships come in all shapes and...
...
...
...
...SIZES.
*Puts sunglasses on*

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pig and Bug are very different and although they really want to be friends, their differences get in the way until they discover common ground. Very amusing.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pig and Small want to be friends, but will they ever find anything they can do together? Bright, colorful illustrations and a little bit of humor make this story a great read aloud to preK and above.

[Lindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is good for children to read because it teaches them that you can still be friends with people even though you both share a lot of differences.

[Arash Jamwal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you need a children's book to understand Adult Life.
Acknowledge the difference and enjoy a similar liking.
and there is always room for one more!
Recommended :)

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book about an unlikely friendship. A couple funny bits that made me giggle.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a delightful story about the true meaning of friendship!

[Mrs Heet -Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute and creative book that would be great talking about friendship to kindergarten aged children.