Small Pig
Date: 1969-01-02 05:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Picture Books; Childrens; Fiction; Animals; Humor; 1St Grade; Juvenile; Adventure; Family; Kids
Description: No mud!Small Pig loves to sit in good, soft mud. When the farmer's wife cleans his pigpen, Small Pig runs away. In the city he finds a new mud puddle—but it is not full of mud at all. And now Small Pig has one big problem!
Publisher: HarperCollins

SMALL

PIG

Story and Pictures by

Arnold Lobel

For Dreamnose

Contents

Begin Reading

5

About I Can Read Books

Credits

Cover

Copyright

About the Publisher

The small pig lives in a pigpen on a farm.

5

The small pig likes to eat,
and he likes to run around the barnyard, and he likes to sleep.

6

But most of all the small pig likes to sit down and sink down
in good, soft mud.

7

The farmer and his wife love the small pig. “We think you are the best pig in the world,” they say.

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One morning the farmer’s wife says, “Today I will clean my house.”

10

She cleans the upstairs. Then she cleans the down-stairs.

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“My house is spotless,” says the farmer’s wife, “but the rest of this farm is very dirty. I will get to work and clean it up.”

14

The farmer’s wife cleans the barn and the stable and the chicken coop.

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Then she comes to the pigpen. “Heavens!” cries the farmer’s wife. “This is the dirtiest spot of all.”

17

So she cleans the pigpen, and she washes the pig.

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“That’s better,” says the farmer’s wife. “Now everything is neat and shiny.”

“Where is my good, soft mud?” asks the small pig. “I guess it is gone,” says the farmer. “I’m sorry.”

19

The small pig is more than sorry. He is angry. “This place is too neat and shiny for me,” he says.

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And that night the small pig runs away.

22

Soon he finds a swamp. “Ah!” cries the small pig.

“Here is good, soft mud.”

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The small pig sits down and sinks down into the mud.

“Lovely, lovely,” he says, and then he goes to sleep.

24

“Ouch!” says the small pig as a dragonfly bumps into his nose.

“Oops!” says the small pig as a frog jumps onto his head.

25

“Yow!” says the small pig. A turtle is biting his tail.

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“Move yourself out of here!” says a big snake. “You are taking up space that belongs to us.”

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So the small pig moves himself out of there in a hurry and runs on down the road.

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“Here is a very dirty place,” says the small pig.

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“There is sure to be some good, soft mud nearby.”

The small pig finds broken bottles and old television sets. He finds kitchen sinks and empty soup cans, but he does not find mud.

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“Cars are fun,” says the small pig, “but not as much fun as mud.”

“Sofas are soft,” says the small pig, “but not as soft as mud.”

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Then he sees something that he does not like at all.

“That is why there is no mud around here!” cries the small pig. And he runs on down the road.

33

At the end of the is a large city. “Even the air is dirty here,” says the small pig. “There is sure to be some good, soft mud nearby.”

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Soon the small pig finds what he is looking for. “Ah!”

he says. “Here is mud.”

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Then he sits down and sinks down into the good, soft mud.

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“This mud is strange,” says the small pig. “It is not very soft at all. In fact, it is getting harder and harder.”

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He tries to get up, but he cannot move.

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Soon a few people stop to stare at the small pig.

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More and more people come to see the small pig.

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Then many, many people come to look because they have never seen a pig stuck in the sidewalk.

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The farmer and his wife drive by in their car. “Look at that big crowd of people,” says the farmer. “Let’s stop and see what is happening.” “All right,” says the farmer’s wife, “but hurry. We must keep looking for our lost pig.”

45

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The farmer stops the car. “What is happening here?”

he asks a man. “Oh, nothing much,” says the man.

“There is just a pig stuck in the sidewalk.”

“Heavens!” cries the farmer’s wife. “That is OUR pig that’s stuck in the sidewalk!” “Call the police! Call the firemen!” shouts the farmer.

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By this time everyone in the city has come to see the small pig. The policemen hold back the huge crowd.

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The firemen bring tools to break the sidewalk.

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“Please,” says the farmer’s wife, “be very careful. We think that pig is the best in the world.”

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The firemen work very carefully, and soon the small 53

pig is free. He jumps into the arms of the farmer and his wife.

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They all drive home together.

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Just as they come to the farm the sky turns dark, and a storm begins. It rains and rains.

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The farmer says, “Look! Now there is a brand new mud puddle in the pigpen.” The farmer’s wife says,

“And I promise never to clean it up again.”

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So the small pig runs into the pigpen. First he has his supper.

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Then he sits down
and sinks down
into the good, soft mud.

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THE END

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Dear Parent:

Your child’s love of reading starts here!

Every child learns to read in a different way and at his or her own speed.

Some go back and forth between reading levels and read favorite books again and again. Others read through each level in order. You can help your young reader improve and become more confident by encouraging his or her own interests and abilities. From books your child reads with you to the first books he or she reads alone, there are I Can Read Books for every stage of reading:

SHARED READING

Basic language, word repetition, and whimsical illustrations, ideal for sharing with your emergent reader BEGINNING READING

Short sentences, familiar words, and simple concepts for children eager to read on their own

READING WITH HELP

Engaging stories, longer sentences, and language play for devel-oping readers

READING ALONE

Complex plots, challenging vocabulary, and high-interest topics for the independent reader

ADVANCED READING

Short paragraphs, chapters, and exciting themes for the perfect bridge to chapter books

I Can Read Books have introduced children to the joy of reading since 1957. Featuring award-winning authors and illustrators and a fabulous cast of beloved characters, I Can Read Books set the standard for begin-ning readers.

A lifetime of discovery begins with the magical words “I can read!”

Visit www.icanread.com for information on enriching your child’s reading experience.

Credits

Cover art © 1969 by Arnold Lobel

Copyright

SMALL PIG. Copyright © 1969 by Arnold Lobel. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader December 2008

ISBN 978-0-06-179439-1

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Publisher

Australia

HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.

25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)

Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au Canada

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

55 Avenue Road, Suite 2900

Toronto, ON, M5R, 3L2, Canada
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca New Zealand

HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited P.O. Box 1

Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz

United Kingdom

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

77-85 Fulham Palace Road

London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk United States

HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

10 East 53rd Street

New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com

Document Outline

- Cover Image
- Title Page
- Dedication Page

- Contents

- Begin Reading
- About I Can Read Books
- Credits
- Copyright Notice
- About the Publisher

Table of Contents

- Cover Image
- Title Page
- Dedication Page

- Contents

- Begin Reading
- About I Can Read Books
- Credits
- Copyright Notice
- About the Publisher