Pigmares

Gr 2–4—These 17 delightful piggy poems will give youngsters more giggles than chills. A small pajama-clad pig who has just gotten home from a scary movie realizes belatedly that "I should never watch monsters on film before bed!" Full-color movie posters accompany the poems that follow. Among them are Frankenswine on an Arctic ice floe, the Mummy Pig awakening from a 3000-year sleep, and the Phantom Hog of the Opera composing his masterpiece, "Pigoletto." Another poster features the Werehog that "yowls his mournful tune./The saddest sound you'll ever hear:/his oinking at the moon!" In a poem for two voices, mild Dr. Hogwell becomes the monstrous Mr. Pigg. True to their porcine natures, the great Pig Kong is a vegetarian, and the vampire piglets of the night are after swill instead of blood. The collection ends with Night of the Living Ham, in which the young pig sees similarities between the zombies of the movie and his parents before their morning coffee. Cushman includes "Movie Credits"-three pages of information about the original films. His colorful cartoon illustrations are done in pen-and-ink and watercolors. Whether read independently or aloud to a group, this collection is a good choice for all libraries. Continue the fun with Arnold Lobel's Book of Pigericks (HarperCollins, 1983).—Mary Jean Smith, formerly at Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN