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A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea
[1416979220] [9781416979227]
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
4 people are currently reading
555 people want to read
About the author
Michael Ian Black
30 books429 followersMichael Ian Black is a popular comedian who began his career with "The State," a sketch comedy troupe he co-founded at New York University in 1988, which went on to have a successful run on MTV. He then co-created the Comedy Central television series "Viva Variety," a fake European variety show.
From there, he appeared on several television shows before landing the role of Phil Stubbs, the quirky bowling alley manager on NBC's "Ed," which ran for almost four seasons. His next project was "Stella," a television show he co-created with Michael Showalter and David Wain, which ran on Comedy Central. Black has appeared in several films and is a popular contributor to VH1's "I Love the..." series.
In 2005, he wrote and directed his first film, "Wedding Daze," which starred Jason Biggs and Isla Fisher. His screenplay "Run Fat Boy Run," starring Simon Pegg and Thandie Newton, came out in 2007. Black is also a stand-up comedian, who regularly tours the country. His first album of stand-up comedy, "I Am a Wonderful Man," was released in 2007, and his first book of humorous essays, My Custom Van (and 50 Other Mind-Blowing Essays That Will Blow Your Mind All Over Your Face) came out in 2008. His first children's book, Chicken Cheeks was released in January, 2009. His latest project is "Michael and Michael Have Issues," a comedy series premiering in July 2009 on Comedy Central. Black is married and has two children.
From there, he appeared on several television shows before landing the role of Phil Stubbs, the quirky bowling alley manager on NBC's "Ed," which ran for almost four seasons. His next project was "Stella," a television show he co-created with Michael Showalter and David Wain, which ran on Comedy Central. Black has appeared in several films and is a popular contributor to VH1's "I Love the..." series.
In 2005, he wrote and directed his first film, "Wedding Daze," which starred Jason Biggs and Isla Fisher. His screenplay "Run Fat Boy Run," starring Simon Pegg and Thandie Newton, came out in 2007. Black is also a stand-up comedian, who regularly tours the country. His first album of stand-up comedy, "I Am a Wonderful Man," was released in 2007, and his first book of humorous essays, My Custom Van (and 50 Other Mind-Blowing Essays That Will Blow Your Mind All Over Your Face) came out in 2008. His first children's book, Chicken Cheeks was released in January, 2009. His latest project is "Michael and Michael Have Issues," a comedy series premiering in July 2009 on Comedy Central. Black is married and has two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 255 reviews
January 23, 2012
A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea is brilliant.
1. The art is funny.
2. It suggests that you say "pig parade," which is fun to say.
3. The arguments presented in it are rhetorically sound. (I want to use this book with my writing students.)
4. It has marching band-like things in it.
5. It has a strong thesis statement.
6. Everyone in my family loves it.
This book is so good that today we awarded it the Steven Colbert Award for the Literary Excellence, and we only have twelve of those stickers to use, so we are very careful with them.
I don't write reviews like this very often, but this book deserves six stars. I almost went through and lowered the ratings of several other books, just to raise the value of a five-star rating so that people would take it more seriously.
1. The art is funny.
2. It suggests that you say "pig parade," which is fun to say.
3. The arguments presented in it are rhetorically sound. (I want to use this book with my writing students.)
4. It has marching band-like things in it.
5. It has a strong thesis statement.
6. Everyone in my family loves it.
This book is so good that today we awarded it the Steven Colbert Award for the Literary Excellence, and we only have twelve of those stickers to use, so we are very careful with them.
I don't write reviews like this very often, but this book deserves six stars. I almost went through and lowered the ratings of several other books, just to raise the value of a five-star rating so that people would take it more seriously.
February 4, 2011
Okay, so, on the one hand I'm not sure how much I like the idea of a book telling kids that their idea of having a "pig parade" is a "terrible idea"--why be so discouraging of imagination? And, I happen to really like pigs. BUT, ohmygosh, the reasons why we should NOT have a pig parade are so very, very funny and so well told, I just thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! The illustrations are humorous with a clever blend of realistic portrayal of pigs (no cartoon versions here!) but in ridiculous "parade" situations. And, at the end, I think the "credibility" of the naysayer narrator is put to rest in a fun and surprising way ;-) So, overall, a fun book that I would recommend to anyone looking for some witty humor.
September 23, 2010
This just came into the library and intrigued me once I realized who the author was. Michael Ian Black's voice shines in this persuasive picture book, arguing just why a pig parade is a TERRIBLE idea. The humor appealed to me, though it will definitely go over the heads of most of its intended audience. Parents, though, will enjoy such jokes as "My Tears Are Wet 'Cause My Mud's Gone Dry." The illustrations by Kevin Hawkes are tastefully and beautifully done to complement such dry humor.
January 19, 2015
Professional Review:
http://www.booksinprint.com.leo.lib.u...#
This book received a starred review from Booklist and I thought it was with good reason. The book dialogue was very cleverly put together and makes it so many grade levels can enjoy the book rather than only older or younger students. Although I didn't find it as absolutely laugh-out-loud funny as the reviewer did, I was still able to chuckle on several of the pages. I think what really pulls the book together are the illustrations and I completely agree that all students would be engaged with this book and find it humorous.
http://www.booksinprint.com.leo.lib.u...#
This book received a starred review from Booklist and I thought it was with good reason. The book dialogue was very cleverly put together and makes it so many grade levels can enjoy the book rather than only older or younger students. Although I didn't find it as absolutely laugh-out-loud funny as the reviewer did, I was still able to chuckle on several of the pages. I think what really pulls the book together are the illustrations and I completely agree that all students would be engaged with this book and find it humorous.
April 26, 2012
This is the second collaborative work by Michael Ian Black & Kevin Hawkes that I have read, and while I do not dislike it quite as much as Chicken Cheeks it is still dismal and unfunny. The illustrations are better than Chicken Cheeks, but not at all spectacular. Worst of all, the story lacks any justification for itself and fails in every respect.
March 19, 2015
I'm searching for mentor text for opinion writing. What a perfect and fun book to share with my class. Perfect structure for introduction with transition and supports on why pigs would not be perfect for a parade; however panda bears would be. I purchased the Kindle version so students can see and can underline the text.
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June 2, 2011Great read aloud. I can imagine some great fun using this book to teach persuasive writing!
March 12, 2011
This is a very cute book and a great read aloud! At first, one may think that having a pig parade would be a great idea, but after reading the author's reasons for NOT having one, we definitely see that is is a TERRIBLE idea! I read this to one of my 1st grade classes and they LOVED the illustration talking about the floats that pigs like...root beer floats! One of the students said I should have made root beer floats for them to drink while I read the book! That's a great idea and one I'll consider next time I read it.
September 12, 2016
I'm so grateful to Black for writing this book! Without its urgent warning message, who knows how many town celebrations could be ruined?! His timely, careful analysis of all the ways pigs are unsuited for parades is insightful and...um, okay, I can't keep this up. The book is just funny, y'all. There are pigs in marching band uniforms. One of our favorite silly books for kids. Totally recommended for the kid who likes to giggle (and any nearby adults).
September 11, 2010
Hilarious book about why pigs do not cooperate in parades! Nice big illustrations and funny references to other children's books about pigs. Would make a great program--pig books, pig parade, famous literary pigs, etc. Book would work from older preschoolers through older elementary school--3rd or 4th grade.
December 21, 2012
This is a silly fun book.
March 13, 2013
Quirky fun! I'll display this one often, though I'm thinking it's a bit too wordy for my large storytime groups.
April 12, 2015
Did you know that pigs preferred weepy country ballads?
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February 22, 2016So funny! I just love this and I always love Kevin Hawkes art!
July 30, 2018
Silly and fun to read. I enjoyed the style contrast between the 'good idea' and bad idea' illustrations.
October 19, 2018
This was the favorite of the books I read to Alena this morning. I would have given it five stars except I didn't completely love the ending. While reading it, I laughed out loud more than most books I've read. I love the illustrations too.
February 1, 2015
The book, "A Pig Parade Is A Terrible Idea", by Michael Ian Black informs readers what can go wrong in a parade of pigs. The story begins by supporting the idea of having a pig parade because it would be an entertaining event. After that, the story goes on to explain why a pig parade is not a good idea. For example, pigs spend the majority of their time "snuffling" for food and have a bad taste in music. Additionally, pigs are disinterested in floats and have not mastered the ability to march while also holding instruments throughout the parade. Despite the fact that a pig parade is a bad idea, the story ends on a humorous note and promotes the idea of having a panda bear parade instead.
The illustrations in this story are extremely large and correlate with the text very well. One thing that catches my eye in these illustrations is how well the pigs are portrayed in the pictures to a person’s real-life perception of pigs. For example, the illustrations are made to show that pigs are dirty and lazy by showing various pigs sniffing food off of the ground, pigs rolling in puddles of mud, and pigs walking around surrounded by a swarm of flies. In addition, it is interesting to notice how the colors in the illustrations vary depending on the text. For example, on pages that convey why pig parades are a bad idea, the colors are very dull and plain. However, on pages promoting the pig and panda parades the colors are very lively and fun. I also think that the design of the pictures is interesting because it seems like the illustrator is trying to get the readers to laugh. More specifically, the illustrator shows the pigs marching on two legs with lots of enthusiasm and contrasts this idea with a pig squinting his eyes when the author states “a pig parade is a terrible idea”. Furthermore, the illustrator orients a pig in the middle of a page with a dirty face to make a reader laugh again and maybe to get the reader to grimace from the idea of having the dirty face of a pig in a parade. From these observations, I believe that the pictures and the text on each page match up nicely because the author seems to use his text to guide how the pictures are illustrated: either with clean, crisp images or dirty, dull images. In relation to the text throughout this book, I like how the author changes his font to italics when he is trying to make an important point on a page, or he uses questions at the end of some of his pages to engage his reader further. Finally, I thought it is interesting how the pigs are developed in this book as the main characters and to give a child a silly perspective of a parade with animals instead of humans.
In my opinion, this book better suites a late elementary student as opposed to a kindergarten student. I believe an older child is better suited for this book because of the advanced language and vocabulary. Also, for an early reader, the book may be harder to fully interpret at times as opposed to other stories. For example, a child may not understand why a pig parade is a terrible idea, and a young child might miss the author’s humor when he states that a panda bear parade is a great idea. In regards to the illustrations though, the pictures would appear very fascinating to most children, but they most likely would not comprehend the meaning of the story. For reasons such as vocabulary and confusion, I recommend this book to children with more advanced reading skills.
The illustrations in this story are extremely large and correlate with the text very well. One thing that catches my eye in these illustrations is how well the pigs are portrayed in the pictures to a person’s real-life perception of pigs. For example, the illustrations are made to show that pigs are dirty and lazy by showing various pigs sniffing food off of the ground, pigs rolling in puddles of mud, and pigs walking around surrounded by a swarm of flies. In addition, it is interesting to notice how the colors in the illustrations vary depending on the text. For example, on pages that convey why pig parades are a bad idea, the colors are very dull and plain. However, on pages promoting the pig and panda parades the colors are very lively and fun. I also think that the design of the pictures is interesting because it seems like the illustrator is trying to get the readers to laugh. More specifically, the illustrator shows the pigs marching on two legs with lots of enthusiasm and contrasts this idea with a pig squinting his eyes when the author states “a pig parade is a terrible idea”. Furthermore, the illustrator orients a pig in the middle of a page with a dirty face to make a reader laugh again and maybe to get the reader to grimace from the idea of having the dirty face of a pig in a parade. From these observations, I believe that the pictures and the text on each page match up nicely because the author seems to use his text to guide how the pictures are illustrated: either with clean, crisp images or dirty, dull images. In relation to the text throughout this book, I like how the author changes his font to italics when he is trying to make an important point on a page, or he uses questions at the end of some of his pages to engage his reader further. Finally, I thought it is interesting how the pigs are developed in this book as the main characters and to give a child a silly perspective of a parade with animals instead of humans.
In my opinion, this book better suites a late elementary student as opposed to a kindergarten student. I believe an older child is better suited for this book because of the advanced language and vocabulary. Also, for an early reader, the book may be harder to fully interpret at times as opposed to other stories. For example, a child may not understand why a pig parade is a terrible idea, and a young child might miss the author’s humor when he states that a panda bear parade is a great idea. In regards to the illustrations though, the pictures would appear very fascinating to most children, but they most likely would not comprehend the meaning of the story. For reasons such as vocabulary and confusion, I recommend this book to children with more advanced reading skills.
September 5, 2018
Superb illustrations add to the story of why a pig parade is a bad idea. Funny.
April 17, 2014
This was such a cute book! When I heard the title I wasn't sure what to think but as I was reading it I found that I just loved it! It is such a cute idea for a story, but also can be used as more than a story. I think that this book would be really good for doing a lesson on persuasive writing. The book takes an idea that may sound like fun and gives you all of the reasons that it is not as fun and turns out to actually be a bad idea. The book persuades you that having a pig parade is not such a good idea after all. Just like in a persuasive writing piece, you have to back up your statement with facts and reasons. This book does just that. It would be a bad idea to have a pig parade because "pigs absolutely refuse to wear majorette uniforms. Even if you are able to find enough majorette uniforms for all of your pigs (which is a very difficult job in and of itself), just try getting those hundreds of pigs to put them on. They will not do it. Perhaps they consider majorette uniforms unflattering. Nonsense. Everybody looks sharp in a majorette uniform, even pigs (especially pigs!). But when you try explaining that to them, they just look at you as if you are speaking a language they do not understand." This book is filled with good and persuasive reasons that the idea is actually terrible. I would have my students do the same thing. I could give them nonsense ideas and they have to persuade my why it actually isn't a good idea. It could also be taken connect to real life situations where they have to persuade someone to do something that they want to see done, or the opposite way around.
February 26, 2013
This is a fantastic book for those misguided souls who foolishly think that holding a pig parade is a good idea. Starting with its very title, this book convincingly enumerates the reasons that such an idea is in fact a terrible one. Solely because of the amusing illustrations, I decided to read this to my 7-year-old, who apparently found the book humorous as well as (I can only assume) informative. I suppose that's a bonus, but perhaps someday he'll realize that pig parades are no laughing matter. What if, as the book posits, a pig holding a giant parade balloon were to fly off into outer space? Good god, man. The consequences are mind-boggling. Or if instrument-bearing pigs started "play[ing] sad, sad country music ballads" in your parade? Horrors!
A tip: For some reason the book is located in the children's section; mayhap the publishers thought only children would think of holding a pig parade and would need to be dissuaded. Not so! I recommend that libraries and bookstores place at least one copy in the adult section as well. Honestly, where are children going to get money to hold a pig parade. A bake sale? You'd have to sell a lot of cream-cheese brownies and tiny slices of banana bread to finance this operation. The majorette costumes alone ... but I digress.
In closing, Mr. M. Ian-Black even goes so far as to suggest an alternative parade, which I'll leave for the reader to discover. To this I must add that everyone loves a pony parade.
A tip: For some reason the book is located in the children's section; mayhap the publishers thought only children would think of holding a pig parade and would need to be dissuaded. Not so! I recommend that libraries and bookstores place at least one copy in the adult section as well. Honestly, where are children going to get money to hold a pig parade. A bake sale? You'd have to sell a lot of cream-cheese brownies and tiny slices of banana bread to finance this operation. The majorette costumes alone ... but I digress.
In closing, Mr. M. Ian-Black even goes so far as to suggest an alternative parade, which I'll leave for the reader to discover. To this I must add that everyone loves a pony parade.
April 5, 2018
The idea of a pig parade is pretty ludicrous; therefore just the thought of it is absolutely hilarious. Before you open this book to read it and look at the pictures you should imagine what a pig parade would look like. After you've thought about it for a few minutes that's when you should open the book. Why, you ask? Both Michael Ian Black and Kevin Hawkes perfectly capture the absurdity of a pig parade in all its glory. This book looks exactly like what you've imagined a pig parade to be. The writing is both funny and enjoyable to read aloud. I read this during storytime recently and when we got to the part about snuffling, we said the word aloud and also pretended to snuffle, because we simply had to try it out for ourselves. The illustrations are crazy fantastic and amazingly realistic. I feel like Hawkes must have been a pig in a past life and I feel confident he's attempted to lead a few pig parades in his current life. The expressions on the pig's faces are so appropriate. It's as if they're all saying, "Really, a pig parade?"
November 18, 2010
Funny. One of my favorite lines ... "In fact, the only floats pigs care about are root bear floats, which they love." This is one actor (loved him in Ed!) that while he isn't my most favorite in the entire world is actually fairly respectable at this new avenue for his creativity.
Would never have pegged the illustrator as the same person who did Library Lion ... the art styles seem very different. Not in a bad way ... but just different.
Would never have pegged the illustrator as the same person who did Library Lion ... the art styles seem very different. Not in a bad way ... but just different.
June 28, 2011
I didn't realize Micheal Ian Black is a children's author until today! I'm planning to read this for my school-age storytime today instead of one of the many "America is great, we love hot dogs" Fourth of July books we have in the library. I figure this book is about a parade so it works. Also it is hilarious and I think the kids are going to get a big kick out of it.
Looking forward to reading some of Black's other titles.
Looking forward to reading some of Black's other titles.
June 9, 2012
Have you ever wondered how a pig parade would actually be? Well, it could be exciting but it could also cause a lot of problems! Shenanigans ensue. This could be a good book to read with a kid on a one-on-one basis if they like to talk stuff out (which a lot of kids do). It would be awkward to try and work with a class or try to do something super serious with though. I feel like this book would be either highly appealing or not appealing at all for young readers.
May 6, 2015
Author: Michael Ian Black
Title: A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea
Plot: This book is about how horrible a pig parade is. Pigs hate parades, wearing uniforms, giant balloons and other things. Parades are just not for pigs.
Setting: a parade
Characters: pigs
Theme: Comedy and Humor
Style: Fiction; Picture Book
Copyright: 2000
Notes: This is a good book. Children would love to hear or read this book.
Title: A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea
Plot: This book is about how horrible a pig parade is. Pigs hate parades, wearing uniforms, giant balloons and other things. Parades are just not for pigs.
Setting: a parade
Characters: pigs
Theme: Comedy and Humor
Style: Fiction; Picture Book
Copyright: 2000
Notes: This is a good book. Children would love to hear or read this book.
July 23, 2018
Perhaps they consider majorette uniforms unflattering. Nonsense. Everybody looks sharp in a majorette uniform, even pigs (especially pigs!).
Delightfully snarky. I like the illustration style change from "perfect pig parade" look to "the reality of a pig parade" look. A good choice if you need a picture book for elementary aged. You could even add in a creative writing portion where they'd need to create their own animal parade and follow this format of it being a terrible idea and why.
Delightfully snarky. I like the illustration style change from "perfect pig parade" look to "the reality of a pig parade" look. A good choice if you need a picture book for elementary aged. You could even add in a creative writing portion where they'd need to create their own animal parade and follow this format of it being a terrible idea and why.
May 18, 2011
Wow. How awesome is this book? Very. I'm not a big fan of Black's essays (too raunchy for my taste among other problems). But I think he really has a flair for picture books. The premise here is great--explaining why a pig parade is a terrible idea--and I love the artwork. Also, not going to lie, I really want to see a panda parade now.
September 17, 2010
Oh My Goodness!!! This book is so funny. By the same author and illustrator as Chicken Cheeks which is also laugh out loud funny. The author describes why a parade of pigs, while it sounds fun, is not a good idea for a wide variety of reasons. The text is funny but the pictures are priceless! Any kid with a good sense of the ridiculous will thoroughly enjoy this book. Rachel V.
E/Black
E/Black
October 20, 2010
This is just so cute and funny. Read it to find out the very solid reasons a pig parade is a bad idea (they won't wear majorette uniforms, and show an apalling disinterest in pig-themed literary floats.) Then go back and savor the dynamic illustrations of pigs being pigs in wholly appropriate muddy watercolors. I loved it!
January 26, 2011
Wonderful illustrations and dry wit highlight this rumination on what would happen if a group of pigs paraded down a city street. The pigs are depicted as realistic animals in all of their porcine glory—and there’s a subtle lesson here about trying to fit animals into roles we prefer as opposed to what they want be.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 255 reviews