Bed Hogs by Kelly DiPucchio

Bibliography: DiPucchio, Kelly. 2004. Bed Hogs. ill. Howard Fine. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

Plot Summary: Bed Hogs is a story about a pig family consisting of Mama, Papa, Rose, Flo, Ed, and Runt. Each night they share the same straw bed where Mama and Papa take up most of the space and Runt is underneath them all. Because Runt is squished and squashed, he one by one kicks the other members of his family out of bed thinking he would then get a good night sleep. He soon discovers that what he thought he wanted is not what he wants at all.

Critical Summary: Bed Hogs is a hilarious look at families...a hog family. Runt, the smallest of his family, is buried underneath his family every night as they try to all sleep in the same straw bed. To make room, Runt finds a way to remove his family from the bed making more room for himself. The author's writing is simple and the rhymes flows very easy making this book a great read aloud during story time. It is also a great introduction to poetry because of the free flowing verses. Because the story is also very funny from beginning (Sooey, South Dakota) to "zzz" end, it will quickly catch the listener's attention.

Howard Fine's illustrations really bring the humor of the story to life. He successfully gave each pig their own personality...Rose as Miss USDA and Mama as the two-steppin hog. Combined with DiPucchio's writing, this book will appeal to children of all ages and fly off the shelf.

Reviews
School Library Journal: "With large illustrations and a text that is best read aloud, this book is a prize pick for story times."

Children's Literature: "There's nothing delicate or subtle to the close-up scenes of piggish abundance; just lots of energy expended in comic actions. Runt is particularly engaging as he slyly manages to clear the bed one by one."