Tales of Oliver Pig (Puffin Easy-to-Read, Level 2)

Rating:
Summary: Calm and relaxing but not that exciting
Review: Aimed at a first-grade reader, the Tales of Oliver Pig is unusual in that the illustrations are small. The pages, as a result, carry two-thirds text. The illustrations are almost monochromatic and subdued in mood. In this way, they match the quiet and relaxed narratives. Readers gain a vision of a peaceful domestic space filled with kind and loving characters. Mild disputes do occur, such as a fight between two siblings in the second tale, however the young pigs soon make up. Comic relief is provided by the youngest pig, whose dialog consists of one word, "gah." The stories place only small demands on the imaginations of readers; prosaic events, such as baking in the kitchen, make up entire tales. The notion of pigs acting like humans is the most unusual element in the book, yet even that is normative: the pink skin of the pigs reads as Caucasian.

Rating:
Summary: Calm and relaxing but not that exciting
Review: Aimed at a first-grade reader, the Tales of Oliver Pig is unusual in that the illustrations are small. The pages, as a result, carry two-thirds text. The illustrations are almost monochromatic and subdued in mood. In this way, they match the quiet and relaxed narratives. Readers gain a vision of a peaceful domestic space filled with kind and loving characters. Mild disputes do occur, such as a fight between two siblings in the second tale, however the young pigs soon make up. Comic relief is provided by the youngest pig, whose dialog consists of one word, "gah." The stories place only small demands on the imaginations of readers; prosaic events, such as baking in the kitchen, make up entire tales. The notion of pigs acting like humans is the most unusual element in the book, yet even that is normative: the pink skin of the pigs reads as Caucasian.