Reviews | Teaching Tips | Reading/Listening Comprehension
Reviews
“In this bright and bouncy concept book, the Pigs turn their house upside down looking for spare change so that they can go out to dinner. Readers are invited to count along as the porkers dig out cash from the socks drawer, pennies from under the bed, quarters from the closet, and a five-dollar bill from the washing machine.......The Pigs’ reward is a trip to the Enchanted Enchilada. The whole menu is reproduced, complete with prices, so readers can figure out what the family can afford to eat and how much money they will have left over.......An entertaining tool for reinforcing math skills that should be especially useful in a whole-language curriculum.”
School Library Journal*
(Starred Review)
“When the Pig family finds that their refrigerator is bare, they, like many American families, decide to eat out. Neither elder Pig, however, has any cash. Instead of going to the ATM, they chose a more old-fashioned remedy. They declare a family money hunt, and soon they're off into drawers, under beds, and into pockets, where they find a grand total of $34.67 — a sum that proves sufficient for dinner for four at the vegetarian Enchanted Enchilada.........A menu with prices is provided as is a final listing of the money that was found, making the book useful for launching exercises in money counting and planning. The Pigs’ spirit will suit young listeners: arriving at the restaurant, the Pigs say to the waitress, “We’re the Pigs and we’re very hungry. What’s the special?”: A money hunt will no doubt follow a reading.”
Booklist
Teaching Tips
- Look at the cover of Pigs Will Be Pigs. What predictions can be made about the story based on the cover?
- Read Pigs Will Be Pigs with your class. As the Pigs find money, have students run a tally. Compare with the totals listed at the end of the book.
- Fill Mrs. Pig’s shoe box with coin and bill manipulatives equaling $34.67 (in the demoninations as found by the Pigs) Ask students to pay the Pigs’ bill of $31.96 at the Enchanted Enchilada three different ways:
- Use the piglets’ penny collection.
- Don’t use the piglets’ penny collection.
- Save Mr. Pig’s two-dollar bill.
- Set up the Enchanted Enchilada. Have students break up into groups of five (four as the Pigs, one as the waiter/waitress). Give the waiter/waitress a pad for taking orders. Prices will need to be tallied in a column on the right. The four Pigs have exactly $34.67 to spend as a group. The only rule is that they may not order the special. The waiter/waitress can tally their bill using a calculator. Then the Pigs have to pay the bill using the money from the shoe box.
- Create your own word problems. For example: The Pigs returned to the Enchanted Enchilada later in the week. Mrs. Pig ordered huevos rancheros and a strawberry frozen delight. Mr. Pig ordered guacamole enchiladas, a taco salad, and a pitcher of cola. The piglets shared a large Mexican pizza and an order of stuffed jalapenos. They drank lots of water. By the end of the meal, Mrs. Pig gave the waitress a coupon which read, “Five dollars off your bill.” How much did the Pigs owe?
- As a creative writing assignment, ask your students to interview the waitress at the Enchanted Enchilada. For example, “Do the Pigs always order what’s on special? Have they ever come in with a shoe box before?”
- The Pigs favorite food is Mexican. But suppose their favorite food were Italian, French, or Chinese. Think of a name for a new restaurant and write a menu. Remember: The Pigs are vegetarians.
- Ask the class, “Have you ever gone on a money hunt?” Talk or write about the experience.
- “The Pigs were on a roll.” Discuss the meaning of this idiom and incorporate it into an original sentence.
Reading/Listening Comprehension
The following questions could be used as part of a Pig trivia game. Set up teams and score 1 point for every correct answer. Make up additional questions if necessary.
- What color is the Pigs’ house?
- What kind of plant grows in the front yard?
- What’s hanging over the front door?
- What were the Pigs watching on T.V.?
- What kind of pets do the Pigs have?
- How many pets do the Pigs have?
- What color is Mr. Pig’s shirt?
- Who raided the refrigerator?
- What did Mrs. Pig find in the laundry room?
- What did Mr. Pig find in his sock drawer?
- How many pennies were in the piglets’ penny collection?
- What did the piglets find in their toy chest?
- What did Mr. Pig find in his tool box?
- What does Mrs. Pig use to hold all of the money?
- What color is the Pigs’ car?
- What decorations are on the car?
- What’s the name of the Pigs’ favorite restaurant?
- What kind of animal was the waitress?
- What do the Pigs say to the waitress?
- What’s wrong with Mr. Pig’s pants?
- Mrs. Pig says, “There’s nothing like Home, Sweet _______?"
- What did the Pigs find at home when they returned?
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