All little Nelly wants is to get her Aunt Pitty Patty's piggy in the gate before support time, but the piggy won't budge. Nelly goes all over town trying to get people, things, and animals to help her but everyone says they won't do it. Nelly goes from thing to thing trying to get help but she gets nowhere until the cat says it will help if Nelly gives it some milk. Nelly manages to get the cat some milk, and eventually, the cat gets the piggy in the gate through a chain of events. This book was a cute book to read, and kids would love reading along with it, wondering if Nelly will ever get the piggy in the gate. The illustrations are also well done, and make the personification of the objects come to life and make sense in the story. Great book to read, and I would recommend it to everyone. ( )

"Aunt Pitty Patty's Piggy" is a retelling of the classic "Old Woman and the Pig". This story differs from the original because instead of the aunt going to ask for help moving the pig, the young girl goes to get help. The book is entertaining and fun to read because it contains a catchy rhyme and is repetitive. From what I have read, I believe the theme of this book is that although something is hard do not give up. The young girl was determined to move the pig and in the end she finally moved him. The beautiful illustrations are well detailed and has an old fashioned quality to them. I truly enjoyed this adorable cumulative tale. It is the perfect book to engage children while reading by saying the catchy rhyme together in unison. ( )

This folk tale tells the story of Aunt Pitty Patty and her niece Nellie, who go to the store and buy a pig, but when they bring it home, they cannot coax the pig through the gate and into their yard. Nellie is left to encourage the pig's progress, and the enlists the help of many creatures and objects, all of which are listed in repetitive fashion, making this book a great option for read aloud and encouraging class participation. The illustrations show what appears to be an old-fashioned farm setting, perhaps set in the late 1800s, which makes it feel homey, cozy, and all the more appealing. This would be a great supplement to a unit on farms, farm animals, or folk tales. ( )

When Aunt Pitty Patty takes her young niece Nelly to the market, they come home with a "fine fat piggy." But though they coax, and though they push, that stubborn little piggy refuses to go through the gate, sitting there saying "No, no, no, I will not go!". With Aunt Pitty Patty needed in the kitchen, it's up to Nelly to solve the problem, and off she goes, attempting unsuccessfully to enlist the help of a variety of creatures and objects. How will she ever get that pig through the gate, if no one will help her...?

Like many of their other collaborative projects - The Gingerbread Man, Goldilocks And The Three Bears, The Tale Of Tricky Fox - this picture-book adventure from Jim Aylesworth and Barbara McClintock is great fun, and I imagine that its cumulative refrain, in which Nelly repeats the growing list of recalcitrant creatures each time she makes a new request - would make excellent material for reading aloud. This format seemed very familiar to me, although I couldn't quite place it. I'm sure I've read some folktales with a similar structure, but as Aylesworth gives no attribution, and I can't recall a specific source, I'm going to assume that this is an original story inspired by the folkloric tradition.

McClintock's illustrations here are appealing, her Nelly looking like an earlier model of the mischievous Goldilocks from her later book. But though they were enjoyable, somehow they weren't quite the equal of some of her other work. Or perhaps I should say, I didn't appreciate them as much? Done in pencil and watercolor, rather than the ink, watercolor and gouache of so many of McClintock's other titles, they were not as crisp, although her colors were still lovely (love that autumn foliage!). All in all, a winsome little book, although I probably wouldn't rank it amongst my favorites, by this author/illustrator team. ( )

Aunt Piggy Patty's Piggy is about the mission of a young girl named Nelly to get he Aunt's pig inside of her fence whilst it shouts "No, No, No I will not go."

I like that the illustrations depict a 19th century setting. The phrases the book repeat are fun and catchy.

If I read this book in a classroom I would encourage the students to recite the repetative phrases along with me. ( )