I especially liked the contrast between the dream version of the pig parade - cartoonish pigs walking on two legs and so forth - and the more realistically drawn pigs. ( )

Super cute, super funny picture book with some really great illustrations of pigs being, well, pigs. Definitely a good read aloud book for younger readers. ( )

Well, the kids were convinced! ( )

This book is about the idea of a pig parade, but this is a persuasive type of story that gives reasons why a pig parade would be a terrible idea.

REVIEW:
The author of this book explains why a pig parade is a terrible idea. Although it may sound like a fun idea, the author explains how pigs hate to march, refuse to wear majorette uniforms, don't care about parade floats, have a horrible taste in music, and can't hold balloons. The author tires to persuade its audience that these reasons are why a pig parade is not a good idea. This book is an excellent example of persuasive writing because it states an opinion (that pig parades are a terrible idea) and supports that reasoning. Transition words/phrases are used (such as "for one thing", "that's just one reason why a pig parade is a terrible idea", "also", and "finally".

I would love to use this book during a writer's workshop mini-lesson about persuasive writing! Not only is it a good example of this specific style of writing, but it is also funny. I can imagine kids laughing at the reasons for why a pig parade is a terrible idea.

MEDIA: acrylics

GENRE: Children's fantasy picture book (and persuasive)

USES:
(1) This book could be used during a mini-lesson for writer's workshop (mentor text) because it is an example of persuasive writing. At the end of the book, the author states, "A panda bear parade, on the other hand, would be fantastic!" After reading this, students could write their own persuasive piece about why a panda bear parade is a good idea (or a bad idea).
(2) During the read aloud, we could write down transition phrases used in this book and talk about how they contribute to a successful persuasive piece. ( )