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Digger Pig and the Turnip
Digger Pig finds the most beautiful turnip in the garden--a turnip perfect for making into a pie. But who will help Digger Pig make her turnip pie? And who will help her eat it?
- GenresPicture Books
24 pages, Paperback
First published January 11, 2000
26 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 11, 2016
My Spanish is still very bad...but this book is great.
January 13, 2013
In this book the friends wouldn't help the pig make turnip pie from the turnips, and she said they couldn't help her eat it because they didn't help her make it. While she was making it, she cut it and mashed it then rolled it then she put it in the oven and then she called her piglets.
I liked this book a lot. My favorite part was when she called her piglets to supper, because they were all ready for supper.
I liked this book a lot. My favorite part was when she called her piglets to supper, because they were all ready for supper.
September 27, 2019
This is a variation on the Little Red Hen story, and while I appreciate that it changes things up (pig instead of hen, turnip instead of wheat), it didn't really do enough for me to choose this over the Little Red Hen. There aren't many steps to making turnip pie, making the whole story very short. Also, the little piglets don't help make the pie, but they get some in the end anyway, which seems to undermine the whole lesson.
March 10, 2021
Good repetition.
August 5, 2023
Cute story. The Christopher Denise illustrations are fun. I especially enjoyed the fact that it was in English AND Spanish!
May 8, 2025
5/7/25 Read with Skylar
May 26, 2013
This is another book I read in my continuing adventure to teach myself Spanish as an adult.
Dgger Pig and the Turnip is a variation on Little Red Hen, basically a folk tale teaching the moral that hard work begats reward, and laziness is foolishness.
Honestly, I'm a bit tired of this folk tale. It is apparently a favorite of authors of beginner reading books.
In this case, although the main characters' animal species have been changed, it's the same ole tale with little to distinguish it from other renditions.
This story has some intrinsic repetitive portions which likely lends it to good oral storytelling and young kids may enjoy, but I was just bored. Usually, I enjoy the repetition as it provides me an opportunity to review, but in this case the repetition was more of a chorus you sang without understanding.
I liked how the book had the English version typed above but separate from the Spanish version of the tale. The cover was engaging, and the pictures were cute but not fabulous.
The book is almost entirely in past tense. Awesome for me as that is what I am working on currently.
The book includes an activity - essentially staging your own play of the story. This was cute and may appeal to a teacher, but it seemed out of place in a book that states it was designed for an early reader to be able to successfully read on his/her own. I, however, altered the activity a tad. I took the illustrated materials list and challenged myself to state the Spanish word for each item, and then, I would uncover the typed name and check if I was correct. Regardless, the activity was superfluous.
As a graded reader that is supposed to enfuse the love of reading in a young child, it is sub par. There are a lot more entertaining books out there. As for learning Spanish, it's ok. Once more, there are much better books out there.
P.S. I agree with another reviewer. Where's the turnip pie recipe?
Dgger Pig and the Turnip is a variation on Little Red Hen, basically a folk tale teaching the moral that hard work begats reward, and laziness is foolishness.
Honestly, I'm a bit tired of this folk tale. It is apparently a favorite of authors of beginner reading books.
In this case, although the main characters' animal species have been changed, it's the same ole tale with little to distinguish it from other renditions.
This story has some intrinsic repetitive portions which likely lends it to good oral storytelling and young kids may enjoy, but I was just bored. Usually, I enjoy the repetition as it provides me an opportunity to review, but in this case the repetition was more of a chorus you sang without understanding.
I liked how the book had the English version typed above but separate from the Spanish version of the tale. The cover was engaging, and the pictures were cute but not fabulous.
The book is almost entirely in past tense. Awesome for me as that is what I am working on currently.
The book includes an activity - essentially staging your own play of the story. This was cute and may appeal to a teacher, but it seemed out of place in a book that states it was designed for an early reader to be able to successfully read on his/her own. I, however, altered the activity a tad. I took the illustrated materials list and challenged myself to state the Spanish word for each item, and then, I would uncover the typed name and check if I was correct. Regardless, the activity was superfluous.
As a graded reader that is supposed to enfuse the love of reading in a young child, it is sub par. There are a lot more entertaining books out there. As for learning Spanish, it's ok. Once more, there are much better books out there.
P.S. I agree with another reviewer. Where's the turnip pie recipe?
July 23, 2016
It really depends upon if you are looking at this book as a book to read to your non reader; or have a book for enjoyment for your level 2 reader. OR if you are looking for a teaching book to help teach your child to read.
I have an adult special needs son that I read out loud to. We read this and as I read this he lost intrest real fast and to me it was very repeatative due to it's the same story as the classic "The Little Red Hen" except it's a pig and turnips. My son did however look at the illustrations as I turned the pages they were great. But the storyline was the exact same except like I said the main character. So was very boring especially since this (and the Three Little Pigs) seems to be the most popular classic children's story to redo, TONS of versions out there.
Now on the other hand if you have a child learning to read this has MANY repeatative words in the story so once they learn many of the words that repeat themselves such as "Digger" or "Not I" or "dog" etc. they will smile and be proud of themselves as they can read the story.
I have an adult special needs son that I read out loud to. We read this and as I read this he lost intrest real fast and to me it was very repeatative due to it's the same story as the classic "The Little Red Hen" except it's a pig and turnips. My son did however look at the illustrations as I turned the pages they were great. But the storyline was the exact same except like I said the main character. So was very boring especially since this (and the Three Little Pigs) seems to be the most popular classic children's story to redo, TONS of versions out there.
Now on the other hand if you have a child learning to read this has MANY repeatative words in the story so once they learn many of the words that repeat themselves such as "Digger" or "Not I" or "dog" etc. they will smile and be proud of themselves as they can read the story.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews