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Pigs

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Megan thinks pigs are dumb, but they show her!

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

25 people are currently reading
436 people want to read

About the author

Robert Munsch

290 books1,666 followers
Robert Munsch was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Fordham University in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and from Boston University in 1971 with a Master of Arts degree in anthropology.

He studied to become a Jesuit priest, but decided he would rather work with children after jobs at orphanages and daycare centers. In 1973, he received a Master of Education in Child Studies from Tufts University. In 1975 he moved to Canada to work at the preschool at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario. He also taught in the Department of Family Studies at the University of Guelph as a lecturer and as an assistant professor. In Guelph he was encouraged to publish the many stories he made up for the children he worked with.

Munsch's wife delivered two stillborn babies in 1979 and 1980. Out of the tragedy, he produced one of his best-known books, Love You Forever. This book was listed fourth on the 2001 Publishers Weekly All-Time Best selling Children's Books list for paperbacks at 6,970,000 copies (not including the 1,049,000 hardcover copies). The Munsches have since become adoptive parents of Julie, Andrew and Tyya (see them all in Something Good!)

Munsch has obsessive-compulsive disorder and has also suffered from manic depression. In August 2008, Munsch suffered a stroke that affected his ability to speak in normal sentences. He has recovered enough that he is able to perform live, but has put his writing career on hold until he is fully recovered.

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5 stars
620 (35%)
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581 (33%)
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447 (25%)
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90 (5%)
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19 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
Profile Image for La Coccinelle.
2,259 reviews3,568 followers
January 29, 2019
It's fun to read some of these Robert Munsch books that were a little after my time (i.e., I was "too old" for picture books when they came out). I can't even recall hearing about Pigs, but it's pretty funny, with the repetition and amusing pictures that are the hallmark of Munsch/Martchenko collaborations.

I like the way Megan goes from tidy to dishevelled as the day wears on (well, she does get trampled by a herd of pigs a few times). I also like how, in one scene, one of the pigs is eating a book that appears to be a copy of Munsch's I Have to Go! How meta.

This would be a great addition to any Munsch collection.

Quotable moment:

Megan looked in the principal's window. There was a pig drinking the principal's coffee. A pig was eating the principal's newspaper. And a pig was peeing on the principal's shoe. The principal yelled, "Megan, get these pigs out of here!"

Profile Image for Farideh.
66 reviews27 followers
October 3, 2021
The story wasn't very interesting. I just gave two stars for the pictures. It can be used as a wordless picture book.
Profile Image for Abigail.
7,980 reviews265 followers
January 24, 2020
When Megan's father asks her to see to the pigs, warning her not to open the gate because they are very intelligent creatures, the young girl scoffs, calling them dumb. She continues to scoff, until her carelessness results in the pigs getting out, and taking over first her kitchen, and then her principal's office. Pigs are quite smart, she discovers...

One of many picture-books produced by Canadian author/illustrator team Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko, Pigs is an amusing little picture-book romp. With its repetitive structure, somewhat surreal sense of humor, and madcap hi-jinks (not to mention that sly ending!), this one would make for a good read-aloud at story-time. Recommended to young pig lovers, and to fans of the Munsch/Martchenko team's particular brand of humor.
20 reviews1 follower
January 15, 2016
Personal Response: I think Pigs is a good book to read to children. It’s a silly little book that I think all children would enjoy. I read this book to my seven year old cousin and she loved it. She thought the pigs were silly and enjoyed the pictures.

Plot: This book is about a little girl named Megan. Before school, her dad told her to go feed the pigs but to not open the gate. He warned her that the pigs are smarter than they seem. Megan reached the pig pen and looked at the pigs. She thought they were the dumbest animals on the planet. She tested her theory out by opening the gate. She then opened the gate farther and yelled at the pigs. Suddenly, they all ran out and escaped. Throughout this book, she was sent to collect the pigs around her town.

Characterization: Megan is the main character in this book. She is a young girl who lives on a farm with her parents. This book is not specific on her age. The other main characters are the pigs. The pigs are very rambunctious and crazy. A minor character in this book is Megan’s dad. He is a strict but loving dad. His occupation is a full time farmer. He isn’t given a specific age.

Setting: The story takes place in a small family farm. This setting is important because the story’s main plot is about the pigs on the farm. The story does not specify on the season or specific time of place.

Thematic Connection: I think the theme of this book is for others to listen to what they are told to do. Megan portrayed that by not listening to her father when he told her not to open the gate. She faced severe consequences after disobeying him.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to children around the age of three and up. Any gender would enjoy this book. It is an easy read and has great illustrations that the children would love.
Profile Image for Nancy.
17 reviews
November 13, 2018
My 7-week old son Aiden loved this book. He was verging on crying when we started, but was smiling and cooing along by the time we finished. Solid five stars!!!
19 reviews
March 16, 2020
Megan reminds me of me and a lot of young girls. She is full of adventure and curiousness. who just wants to cause a little ruckus. She loves just making people at ease. she reminds me of myself when I was her age.
Profile Image for Adam.
285 reviews
October 16, 2024
(read aloud by himself at 4yo, no words missed)
13 reviews
April 29, 2016
Personal response- This book Pigs was good. The child I read to was Sydney. When I read it, she enjoyed it and read along. She liked the whole story. She enjoyed the pictures the most, along with the idea of pigs driving a bus. There was really nothing she disliked about the book. The main event was knowing that pigs are smart, not dumb.

Plot- In this book there are not many plots that occur. The main plot of the story begins with a father telling his daughter, Megan, to feed the pigs without opening the gate. She opened the gate anyway and all the pigs ran out. When she looked for the pigs, she found them in the house. They ran out of the house when she opened the door and then they went to the school. When she found them again, she opened the door to the school and they ran out again. Megan was waiting for the bus. When the bus got to the school a pig was driving with the rest of the pigs in back. The pig drove back into their pen and that is when Megan realized pigs aren’t dumb. Pigs are smart.

Characterization- The main character was a girl named Megan. She lived with her parents. Megan was in elementary school. She was skinny with brown shoulder length hair. The other characters were her father, the pigs, the school principal, and her teacher. The author did not describe these characters.

Impacts of Setting- There was more than one setting in this book. The first place she was, was in her house. It was a farm house. Then she went to the pig pen, school, and on the bus. Lastly, she was at the zoo. There is no specific date or time of year mentioned.

Thematic Connection- The theme of this book was to let the reader know pigs are smarter than you think. It told the importance that you will not always be right about everything. Another thing it taught was to always listen to your parents.

Recommend- I would recommend this book to girls and boys as young as second grade and parents of young children. I would recommend it to parents who just want a quick read with their kids or just as a bedtime story. The rating I give Pigs was a four.


18 reviews1 follower
May 29, 2015
I read the book "Pigs" by Robert Munsch to my little nephew, Landen. He liked this book a lot. He seemed very interested with this story. The story was predicted in the very beginning on what was going to happen with the pigs.

The story was about a little girl named Megan. She was getting ready for school when her dad told her to feed the pigs. He only gave one instruction with the task. That task was to not open the gate, because the pigs are smarter than you think. Megan listened to her dad and went out to feed the pigs. When Megan went out to the pig pen she looked at the pigs and said these are the dumbest looking animals I have ever seen. Megan opened the gate little by little seeing what the pigs would do. The pigs didn't do anything until the gate was open just enough for them to get out. Then all of the pigs were running out of the pen, before she knew it the pigs were gone. Megan then went back to the house where her father was. She neared the house and heard “oink, oink, oink” she looked inside and saw the pigs. There was a pig on the table drinking his coffee and one was eating his newspaper. Megan ran the pigs out of the house. Megan took the pigs to the pen and then ran off to school. She got to school and heard “oink oink oink”. She opened the door, the pigs were in the principal's office eating her newspaper and drinking her coffee. Megan put all the pigs back in the pen, at least she thought she did. When she returned to school she opened her desk and there was a baby pig in her desk. Megan always thought pigs were stupid until that day.

There was only one main character in this story and that character's name was Megan. She was a young girl who lived on a farm.

The story took place on a small family farm. Neither the location or the time was given in this story.

I would recommend this book to be read to younger children around the age of two and up. This book would be perfect for a young reader who was just starting to read. I do not think gender matters for this book.
28 reviews
March 20, 2015
I read the book “Pigs” to my nine year old cousin Elizabeth. Overall, she really enjoyed this book. Throughout the book she kept laughing when Megan kept getting run over by the pigs. She also talked about how she thought Megan, the main character in the book, was a troublemaker and she would never do something so ridiculous. Her favorite part about the book was when the pigs peed on a few of the characters shoes.

This book is about a young girl named Megan who gets into trouble with some pigs. Her father asks her to feed the pigs but to make sure not to open the gate or they might cause trouble. Sure enough, Megan opened the gate too far and the pigs ran all over town. They went in her house, in her school, and the bus. When she finally rounded up all the pigs and put them back in the pen, she told her father she learned her lesson. In the end she also ended up keeping a baby pig as a house pet.

The main character in this story is Megan. She is a fun-loving, curious girl. Her curiosity is what gets her into trouble. Megan’s father is a nice man, but very strict. Megan’s principal seemed to be a very high-strung woman who liked things in perfect order.

This story takes place in present time and is realistic fiction. The setting of this book jumps around a bit. The different settings present in this book are Megan’s home, the school, and the bus.

I believe the theme of this book is to do as you are told and not disobey. This lesson is learned when Megan opens the gate even after her father told her not to. When she did this, the pigs ran all over the place and caused trouble. When Megan finally got all the pigs back in the pen she realized if she would have just done what she was told, none of it would have happened.

I would recommend this book to children in elementary school. This book was a fun, upbeat read and has quite a bit of humor thrown in. It teaches a good lesson and keeps you interested at the same time.
20 reviews1 follower
May 29, 2015
I read “Pigs” to Wyatt Wetzel. Wyatt is a kindergartener at Weyauwega-Fremont Elementary. He thought this book was really funny because it had the word “dumb” on almost all of the pages. Wyatt asked me to bring this book to his house more often. I also enjoyed reading this book to him. This book is about a little girl, Megan, that lives on a farm. Her father asked her to feed the pigs before she went to school. Her father's big fear was that Megan would open the gate too far and let the pigs out. She goes outside by the pigs, opens the gate just slightly, and the pigs don’t move. Megan says that pigs are the dumbest animal and that they won't move when she opens the gate. She then opens the gate farther and yells at the pigs. All of a sudden she is on the ground, getting trampled.

The characters in this book are Megan, her father, the students and the pigs. Megan is the main character throughout this book. It does not state her age or what grade she is in. The pigs are the other main characters in this book because they make the story happen. Her father is a pig farmer.

The setting of this book is during the school year. It is not winter, but it is not specified what season. This book takes place in present time at Megan’s home, barn, and school.

The theme of this book is to listen and follow what you have been told. Megan showed a bad example of how to not follow directions by letting the pigs out.

I would recommend this book to any elementary student that is decent at reading because it is an easy read. This book also teaches a good lesson to children that you need to listen to your parents and teachers.
1,140 reviews
February 11, 2011
Pigs by Robert N. Munsch, illustrated by Michael Martchenko, is another laugh-out-loud story by this talented duo. Megan doesn't follow her father's directions about not opening the gate to the pig pen and hijinks ensue in the kitchen, the principal's office, & on the school bus. The pigs eat newspapers & bus seats, drink coffe, pee on people's shoes, & one drives a bus. Megan calls the pigs dumb several times, but eventually declares that pigs are smart. There is a hint at the end that Megan may open another gate in the future.

The illustrations are a highlight of this book, with hilarious details not mentioned in the text. I would not personally use this for library story time, but think many kids would enjoy reading or hearing it read by parents. For ages 4 to 7, humor themes, and fans of Robert N. Munsch & Michael Martchenko.
Profile Image for Dolly.
Author 1 book671 followers
January 14, 2013
This is a fun and silly book that shows what happens when the pigs are let loose. Our girls really enjoyed this book and laughed often at the absurdity of all the things the pigs do. The illustrations are colorful and cartoonish.

Our girls liked watching the story on the Tumblebooks website. (www.tumblebooks.com) Robert N. Munsch is a talented storyteller and he's very entertaining when he narrates his own stories!
Profile Image for Dominick.
Author 16 books32 followers
August 29, 2016
Had to wait for an appointment this morning, and this book was there in the waiting room, so I zipped through it. It's quite cute and amusing, as Meagan learns that pigs are not as dumb as she thinks. Lots of nice humorous detail in the art compensates for the pretty superficial and simple narrative. The final page is especially amusing. Fun book for young readers, but not one of those picture books that adults will enjoy equally, I think.
781 reviews11 followers
April 8, 2009
The illustrations of the pigs taking over Megan's school sell the book, really.

I will note that if you're concerned about the use of the word "dumb" as an insult that you might want to read this book before you buy it. Honestly, though, as insulting the pigs is exactly what gets Megan into trouble, I think the lesson "choose your words carefully" speaks for itself.
Profile Image for Richelle.
215 reviews5 followers
December 12, 2015
I remember this one from my childhood! one of my favourite Munsch books ever! "HEY YOU DUMB PIGS"! LOL
Very interesting to read this now that I'm older and compare it to how I remember it as a child! the illustrations make me laugh! when the pigs are in the house- drinking dads coffee, eating and reading dads paper, there's pigs in the cupboards, pigs everything! so funny! loved it!
Profile Image for Jayna.
1,258 reviews12 followers
July 6, 2014
I don't like the repeated yelling of the phrase "You dumb pigs!" As an elementary teacher, name calling is a big problem and I would never use a book that repeatedly uses a negative words like this.

I received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
13k reviews483 followers
March 24, 2023
Munsch's kids generally triumph, but not all experience a learning curve as Megan does in this story. I read it as part of The Munschworks Grand Treasury which I highly recommend (but read it over a few weeks, not a few days as I am needing to do).

And btw, the reviewer who said nothing much happens and the book could be wordless is totally missing out. Either they read it way too fast amongst a stack of picture-books, or they meant to review a different book (maybe Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore! by David McPhail). This is in fact hilarious, with wordplay & the sort of page-turning action that young school children love.
Profile Image for Erin Beall.
7 reviews
Read
August 22, 2022
*Spoilers* This book is a children’s fantasy picture book dream. Megan ignores her father’s instructions not to open the gate when she feeds the pigs. Even though he warns her that pigs are smarter than they look she is convinced that they are as dumb as they look. When she makes the mistake of opening the gate her whole day turns upside down. Pigs invade her house, her school, and her school bus. Despite her telling people pigs aren’t dumb they continue to show up everywhere. She finally comes to the conclusion that pigs are smart after encountering them in various settings and then they find their own way back into the pen as the smart animals they are.
This would be a very cute book to use in readers' theater with younger grades. This could help them with their reading, expression, and creativity. Another great teaching tool would be to use this book to introduce fantasy and model for students how to write a fantasy narrative of their own.
1,139 reviews4 followers
November 30, 2020
Megan is sent to feed the pigs, but she unleashed trouble and some silly antics when she leaves the gate open. The pigs make their way through town doing all sorts of funny, not for pigs to do type things such as drinking coffee and reading newspapers.
Munsch and Martchenko are an iconic duo in my eyes. There talents and sense of humor complement each other so well. The illustrations have a great level of detail and draw out the funniness of some of the text. The story is perfectly absurd, and I love how Munsch gets many of his ideas from talking with his young fans. The stories he comes up with remind me of the ones my 4 & 5 year olds come up with, in the best way possible. I also love his use of repetition in phrasing throughout this book and others, it makes the story even more engaging.
6 reviews
October 15, 2021
Pigs is a comedic story about a girl names Megan who is warned to closed the gate when she feeds the pigs on her farm. She ignores this advice because she thinks pigs are too dumb to escape, but the pigs stampede right out of the pen and cause mayhem all over the house, at school and even on the bus. Megan learns that pigs are smarter than she thought.

I love this story because its hilarious, and my students always laugh when I read it aloud in class. This is a great story to use for comprehension lessons focused on cause and effect, retelling and sequencing in the primary grades. It's also a wonderful mentor text for writing lessons for any elementary level class because it models a lot of writing techniques for dialogue, thoughts, and style.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
18 reviews
September 26, 2018
Megan is told to feed the pigs by her father, she does so but underestimates the pigs. her dad tells her not To open the door whatsoever. But as curious as she is, she think the pigs are dumb and won't do anything. The pigs literally followed her to school. Im not sure if the moral of the story was not to underestimate animals but that is what I received. Also if you do not follow your parents wishes there are consequences to come along.
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,500 reviews26 followers
September 28, 2020
Read this to my young niece last night. Twice. So she had it read 4 or 5 times total by multiple members of the family. She knows how to work the booklovers.

Lots of words for her and we changed dumb to silly as her mom requested (my niece is practicing to be a parrot right now). Ironically, she was more concerned about the cat than Megan. "Why is the pig eating the cat's food!?!" "What is wrong with the kitty cat???" "Who gave the kitty more food? The pig can't eat it, right?" lol
Profile Image for Francis S. Poesy.
Author 4 books15 followers
February 4, 2019
Maybe it was the e-book experience but there didn't seem to be a logical flow to the story. It seemed to rely too much on the concept of pigs making mischief in unbelievable ways to carry the story. The illustrations of the main character were cute while the illustrations of the pigs sometimes bordered on demonic.
20 reviews
August 22, 2020
I thought that this was a very interesting and different kind of picture book for young children. I loved the different ways that the pigs followed Megan throughout her day. I think this book has a great message for students who read it but it is presented in such a fun way that the students will not even relaize that it is an applicatable life lesson.
Profile Image for Joanna .
459 reviews80 followers
August 16, 2023
Hey Book Peeps

This one didn’t keep me as interested as the rest. Surprisingly I zoned out on this 7 min audiobook.

It’s not horrible but I didn’t have as much fun reading this one.

It definitely won’t stop me from exploring the rest of his work.

3 out of 4 bangers is not bad in my books.

Happy Reading

Jo
Profile Image for paige turner ♡.
292 reviews9 followers
December 23, 2018
Pigs! Such a simple little title for this silly book.

I think Megan almost learned her lesson about judging an animal based on how it looks. I wonder what kind of trouble that elephant could get into.

Those pigs could have taken over the whole city if they wanted to!
Profile Image for Diane.
7,287 reviews
August 19, 2019
Megan’s father asks her to feed the pigs — but to not let them out. He warns her that they are smarter than they look. Megan doesn’t believe her dad and the pigs escape. They end up in the kitchen, her classroom and driving the school bus. Maybe they are smarter than they look.

Cute illustrations.
Profile Image for Sayo    -bibliotequeish-.
1,978 reviews36 followers
Read
July 30, 2020
Robert Munsch was my favorite author as a grade schooler and my go-to during the scholastic book fairs.
I remember the day I bought this book.
Pigs were always my favorite animals, and I thought this was hilarious... those pigs went everywhere
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews

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