Old Pig - Hardcover

Margaret Wild has written more than 40 books for children, including Jinx, Kiss Kiss!, Our Granny, and Piglet and Mama. She has won the Aurealis Award and has been short-listed for the Kate Greenaway award. Ron Brooks is also the illustrator of Fox and John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat.

Ages 4^-7. Loss of a loved one is difficult to deal with no matter what one's age. In this tender tale, Old Pig and her granddaughter share a life doing chores, taking walks, eating their meals together. And Granddaughter is willing to eat her corn and oats every day because Old Pig says, "As long as I'm alive, my dear, you'll eat them up." But one morning Old Pig can't get out of bed. The next day she does manage to get up, but her agenda is clear. She wants to pay her bills and close her savings account so she can give the money to Granddaughter. Then she wants to feast--feast her eyes on the flowers and taste the rain and smell the earth. Back at home, Granddaughter opens the window to let the breeze and the moon in, and then she gets in bed with her grandmother and holds her tight until morning. The final wordless picture shows Granddaughter alone. Beautiful in its simplicity, this captures the essence of a life; and children, even little ones, cannot help but feel the love that infuses it. The soft watercolors are entirely childlike and unpretentious, but Brooks manages to mix the everyday with a beauty that transcends chores and meals. Some children may be misled by the story and think they will always be able to share a final good-bye with those they love. It's up to adults, who know so well that this isn't always true, to make sure children understand that the message is to fill each moment with love. Ilene Cooper