cover image Fit for Pigs

Fit for Pigs

Asa Hammar. Checkerboard Press, $9.94 (32pp) ISBN 978-1-56288-265-5

Originally published in Sweden, this tale begins on a disturbing note: Mama Pig awakens to find the pig house in flames. She urges her 11 piglets to ``Get up as fast as you can or we'll all be baked ham.'' They escape, and firefighters arrive to extinguish the blaze. Since the house is beyond repair, the farmer calls a bricklayer, a glazier, a carpenter and a roofer, who all help build a new home for the pig family. In the end, the farmer, firefighters, workers and pigs kick up their heels to celebrate the completion of this ``new house fit for pigs.'' Moller's collage technique gives appealing texture to her illustrations, which include occasional snippets of photos and an array of floral and geometric patterns (even on the pigs). The art is far more distinctive than Hammar's somewhat lumbering, curiously flat narrative. Ages 4-8. (June)