Elementary Secondary Higher Ed Common Reads
0 0
Download high-resolution image

Too Many Pigs and One Big Bad Wolf

A Counting Story

Author Davide Cali
Illustrated by Marianna Balducci
Ebook
Tundra | Tundra Books
On sale Sep 27, 2022 | 36 Pages | 9780735269927
Preschool - 3
Reading Level: Lexile AD500L
Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies

See Additional Formats
An unseen reader goes head-to-head with the big bad wolf in this hilarious counting-book twist on The Three Little Pigs.

Once upon a time, there were three little pigs.
Then the wolf ate them.
THE END.
 
This story is too short! I want a longer one!
 
In this clever counting book, the big bad wolf doesn’t want to tell a long story. He wants to get to the eating part. But the reader has other ideas. From a pig soccer team to a pig for every letter of the alphabet to 101 pigs in an animated movie, the stories get more and more fantastical . . . but they’re always too short and they ALL end the same way.
 
Using an abacus as the basis for her illustrations, Marianna creates beguiling little pigs and a menacing but slightly bored wolf that perfectly complement the inventive story by Davide Cali. Come for the counting, stay for the storytelling! This book has it all.
DAVIDE CALÌ began his career in 1994 as a cartoon writer for the Italian magazine Linus. He began writing children’s books in 2000, and since then he has published twenty books for children; the first four of which he illustrated himself. His book Piano Piano received a 2006 Bologna Ragazzi Special Award and the Switzerland Enfantaisies Prize. He is also the coauthor of I Can’t Wait, winner of the 2005 Baobob Prize. Calì has received the Belgium Libbylit Award, and France’s SNCF award. His books have been published in France, Italy, and Austria, and translations of his books have been published in eighteen countries. Calì lives in Genoa, Italy. View titles by Davide Cali
MARIANNA BALDUCCI graduated in fashion studies and works as a freelance illustrator for communication projects and children’s books. Drawing is a state of life and her favorite way to explore the world. She usually mixes different techniques, especially illustration and photography. She loves surfing the web, catching great ideas and getting to know people and their stories. Marianna lives in Rimini, Italy. View titles by Marianna Balducci
  • NOMINEE | 2024
    Kentucky Bluegrass Award
  • SELECTION | 2023
    Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
  • HONOR | 2023
    Mathical Book Prize - Grades K-2
One of Bookshop.org's Most Astonishingly Unconventional Books of 2022
One of Imagination Soup's Best Picture Books of 2022

"[A] clever take on metafiction that will appeal to both budding mathematicians and writers. . . . Creative visuals and storytelling make for an absorbing read and a great bridge for both math and writing activities." —STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

"[A] brilliantly funny Scheherazadian counting book." —New York Times

"This is the perfect book for young readers looking for a good laugh . . . Better than a read-aloud, this is a read-along, to be acted out, guessed through, or counted out." —School Library Journal

"[W]ritten and illustrated in a clever manner that has been well-thought-out. Cali and Balducci both play a role in making this picture book as laugh-out-loud funny as it is. The story, itself, is a fractured fairy tale, and the inclusion of the narration of a disgruntled reader who is reflective of the real audience’s thoughts and attitudes adds that much more humour. . . . Highly recommended." —CM Magazine

About

An unseen reader goes head-to-head with the big bad wolf in this hilarious counting-book twist on The Three Little Pigs.

Once upon a time, there were three little pigs.
Then the wolf ate them.
THE END.
 
This story is too short! I want a longer one!
 
In this clever counting book, the big bad wolf doesn’t want to tell a long story. He wants to get to the eating part. But the reader has other ideas. From a pig soccer team to a pig for every letter of the alphabet to 101 pigs in an animated movie, the stories get more and more fantastical . . . but they’re always too short and they ALL end the same way.
 
Using an abacus as the basis for her illustrations, Marianna creates beguiling little pigs and a menacing but slightly bored wolf that perfectly complement the inventive story by Davide Cali. Come for the counting, stay for the storytelling! This book has it all.

Author

DAVIDE CALÌ began his career in 1994 as a cartoon writer for the Italian magazine Linus. He began writing children’s books in 2000, and since then he has published twenty books for children; the first four of which he illustrated himself. His book Piano Piano received a 2006 Bologna Ragazzi Special Award and the Switzerland Enfantaisies Prize. He is also the coauthor of I Can’t Wait, winner of the 2005 Baobob Prize. Calì has received the Belgium Libbylit Award, and France’s SNCF award. His books have been published in France, Italy, and Austria, and translations of his books have been published in eighteen countries. Calì lives in Genoa, Italy. View titles by Davide Cali
MARIANNA BALDUCCI graduated in fashion studies and works as a freelance illustrator for communication projects and children’s books. Drawing is a state of life and her favorite way to explore the world. She usually mixes different techniques, especially illustration and photography. She loves surfing the web, catching great ideas and getting to know people and their stories. Marianna lives in Rimini, Italy. View titles by Marianna Balducci

Awards

  • NOMINEE | 2024
    Kentucky Bluegrass Award
  • SELECTION | 2023
    Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
  • HONOR | 2023
    Mathical Book Prize - Grades K-2

Praise

One of Bookshop.org's Most Astonishingly Unconventional Books of 2022
One of Imagination Soup's Best Picture Books of 2022

"[A] clever take on metafiction that will appeal to both budding mathematicians and writers. . . . Creative visuals and storytelling make for an absorbing read and a great bridge for both math and writing activities." —STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

"[A] brilliantly funny Scheherazadian counting book." —New York Times

"This is the perfect book for young readers looking for a good laugh . . . Better than a read-aloud, this is a read-along, to be acted out, guessed through, or counted out." —School Library Journal

"[W]ritten and illustrated in a clever manner that has been well-thought-out. Cali and Balducci both play a role in making this picture book as laugh-out-loud funny as it is. The story, itself, is a fractured fairy tale, and the inclusion of the narration of a disgruntled reader who is reflective of the real audience’s thoughts and attitudes adds that much more humour. . . . Highly recommended." —CM Magazine

Additional formats

Other Books by this Author

Related Articles

General Education & Professional Learning

Reading with Purpose Summit Event

On Monday, June 10th, Penguin Random House Education and DK Learning co-hosted a Reading with Purpose Summit Event in collaboration with Molly Ness, PhD. The event took place at Penguin Random House’s NYC headquarters and included sessions featuring leading education experts and a lunchtime author panel. The in-person professional learning event was built to show

Read more

Reading with Purpose Summit Event

General Education & Professional Learning
Social Studies & History Math The Arts General Early Concepts Education & Professional Learning English Language Arts Favorite Authors & Series Science & Technology

2024 Elementary School Collection

The Penguin Random House Education Elementary School Collection features outstanding fiction, nonfiction, and picture books from Penguin Young Reader’s, Random House Children’s, DK, and Grupo Editorial, as well as children’s publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Explore online or download this valuable resource to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: Leveled Readers,

Read more

2024 Elementary School Collection

Social Studies & History Math The Arts General Early Concepts Education & Professional Learning English Language Arts Favorite Authors & Series Science & Technology
DK Learning Phonic Books Sampler Request
General Publisher's Spotlight English Language Arts

DK Learning Phonic Books Sampler Request

Thank you for your interest in DK Learning | Phonic Books. To download the DK Learning | Phonic Books sampler with four complete readers, please click here and complete the form. Once your information is successfully submitted, a link to download the sampler will be provided on the confirmation screen.   Click here to learn

Read more

DK Learning Phonic Books Sampler Request

General Publisher's Spotlight English Language Arts
education translanguaging collections affirming bilingual and multilingual learners
General Education & Professional Learning English Language Arts Favorite Authors & Series The Arts

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

General Education & Professional Learning English Language Arts Favorite Authors & Series The Arts

Penguin Random House Elementary Education

© 2025 Penguin Random House

Back to Top
0
    • 0
    Wish List (0)