Psst….Psst….Have you heard about the book Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini?

It’s been a big hit in my library this past week!  Not only is it fun to read aloud, with all the repetition, alliteration, and puns but kids love connecting the dots between this book and other folk tales and songs they’ve heard before.  Gritch the Witch fantasizes over several disgusting dishes (including the tongue-tangling boiled black buzzard’s feet) before deciding on Piggie Pie for lunch, and the hunt for the main ingredient begins.  But the clever pigs have a plan to escape her, and the ending provides a delightful and diabolical twist.

You’ll want to follow the book up with a Readers Theater version of the story, and Palatini kindly provides one herself, complete with illustrations from the story.  It even includes a quiz at the end about the meanings of the colorful expressions Gritch uses throughout the book!

Whether you do or don’t celebrate Halloween, this makes a nice seasonal story because it includes a witch, a scarecrow, and some costumes, but it doesn’t use the “H” word.  And the silliness makes it appropriate for younger listeners as well as older kids.

Which Margie Palatini book is your favorite?  Let me know in the comments!