BED HOGS

BED HOGS

"I'm squished! I'm squashed! I'm buried in this heap! You're hoggin' up my space in bed. I'll never get to sleep!" This irresistible read-aloud is sure to be a hit with little bed hogs and their sleep-deprived parents. Kelly DiPucchio grew up on a small farm, where her family raised horses, chickens, ducks, rabbits, and goats-but no hogs! She likes to ham it up in southeastern Michigan, where she lives with her husband and three children. Bed Hogs is Kelly's first picture book. Howard Fine is the illustrator of many fine pig picture books, including Piggie Pie!, A Piggie Christmas, and Piggie's Twelve Days of Christmas. He is also the illustrator of Zoom Broom and Broom Mates. Howard Fine lives with his wife and three children in Westchester County, New York. PreSchool-Grade 3-"In Sooey, South Dakota,/in a sloppy, stuffy sty,/there's an itchy ol' straw bed/where the Bed Hogs pile high." Little Runt is squished, squashed, and buried beneath his siblings and his parents and he's had enough. One by one, he kicks each family member out of bed-Rose, "the reigning beauty queen," who has smelly feet; Flo, who drools in her sleep; "big, blue-ribbon Ed," who giggles when he dreams; Mama, who dances while she snoozes; and snoring Papa. However, when Little Runt has the bed all to himself, he realizes that he's cold, scared, and lonesome. He invites everyone to pile back in and then he feels much better. Told in lilting verses, this story will tickle young readers. The hog-wild illustrations expand the laughter generated by the text, and the rosy palette adds warmth to the pages. Each pig exudes personality; Mama sports pearls and glasses and Rose wears a banner reading "Miss USDA." Youngsters may recognize this hog family as cousins to the characters Fine created for Margie Palatini's Piggie Pie! (Houghton, 1995). With large illustrations and a text that is best read aloud, this book is a prize pick for storytimes.-Carolyn Janssen, Children's Learning Center of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.