The Old Woman and Her Pig: An Appalachian Folktale (review)

When an old woman ventures to the market to buy a pig, she picks out "the fattest little pig of all" and then dances her way down the road home with the little piggy following . . . that is, until they come to the bridge. "That little pig would not set one foot on that bridge. He was scared of the water. He was scared of the height. He just stood there and squealed." Try as she might, the old woman can't get the pig to budge, so she enlists the help of, sequentially, a dog, a rat, and a cat; in true cumulative tale fashion, the cat (after determining that it is in his best interest) worries the rat who nips the dog who barks at the pig, sending the pig right over the bridge and all the way to the old lady's home. MacDonald's knack for toddler-friendly patterning and dialogue is evident in this simply told tale of troubleshooting in the face of necessity. The adapter's note describes the story's source and identifies the elements of the tale she's added, including the helpful cat and the "jogging song" the old woman sings as she heads to town. The illustrations, thick acrylic paints textured by brushstrokes, depict the protagonist as a sturdy country lady, practical shoes, petticoats and all; skin tones run a little orange, and characters are often oddly depicted with their eyes tightly closed, but there's a cheerful rural vigor to the spreads. This will perfectly suit a preschool storytime, and toddlers will beg to act out the animal parts. An adapter's note and musical notation for the two songs are included.