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Too Many Pigs and One Big Bad Wolf

A Counting Story

Author Davide Cali
Illustrated by Marianna Balducci
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Hardcover
$17.99 US
Tundra | Tundra Books
8.75"W x 12"H x 0.44"D   | 16 oz | 24 per carton
On sale Sep 27, 2022 | 36 Pages | 978-0-7352-6991-0
Age 4-8 years | Preschool - 3
Reading Level: Lexile AD500L
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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.
  • 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
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

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.

Awards

  • 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

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

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