Pigs. They’re everywhere in children’s books – from the pig baby in the arms of the Duchess in Alice in Wonderland through Wilbur in Charlotte’s Web to Peppa Pig in, well, so many books it’s almost indecent.
This is the start of the Chinese Year of the Pig, and we wish every reader good fortune, health and prosperity for the next twelve months. The internet tells us that people born in the Year of the Pig are realistic, enthusiastic, energetic and gentle and find that having something solid in their hand – a book, perhaps – gives them security. Not a bad description of Nosy Crow, actually (though, in fact, Nosy Crow is a Year of the Tiger kind of beast, it turns out).
In common with lots of children’s publishers, there are pigs in many of our books too. Nosy Crow has a very international perspective. We try to be respectful of different cultures, countries and religions, and, of course, we know that there are some publishers in some countries and some readers, both in the UK and elsewhere, who don’t like to see pigs in children’s books… but they also, in our view, add colour, fun and a great snorting opportunity that means that we do include them in many books about farms.
Here are a few of our books in which pigs are heroes:
Portly Pig, the sound chip book by Axel Scheffler, is complete with proper piggy grunting throughout.
The Three Little Pigs, whether the book or the app, is a deliciously fresh take on the traditional tale, illustrated by Ed Bryan. This was our first app, and remains our bestseller. I hold it in the most enormous affection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O-k7p4e9XQ
In The Mystery of the Haunted Farm by Elys Dolan, nursery story meets Scooby Doo and Ghostbusters, as three pigs are called out to solve a spooky mystery.
The Piglet Pickle, by Caryl Hart and Sarah Warburton, is a two-colour chapter book caper in which two children “rescue” a pig from a city farm and take it home with predictably amusing results.
A Piglet Called Truffle is the first of Helen Peters’ Jasmine Green books, illustrated by Ellie Snowdon, and is another story of farms and rescue, but imbued with all the careful observation of rural life that Helen brings to this series.
And of course there are loads of Nosy Crow preschool and picture books (and another app) in which pigs play a supporting role – Bizzy Bear: Farmyard Fun is the book, and Bizzy Bear: On The Farm is the app in which Bizzy feeds apples to some cheerful pigs, and pigs feature in Old Macdonald’s Things That Go, Animal Families: Farm, Hello farm, Old MacDonald Things that Go, Look and Say What You See on the Farm, Who’s Hiding on the Farm, Listen to the Farm, Little Blue Truck, Can You Say It Too: Moo Moo!, and Look, There’s a Tractor!, amongst others.
Best wishes for the year to come!
恭贺新禧!
