________________ CM . . . . Volume XVIII Number 34 . . . . May 4, 2012

cover

Chicken, Pig, Cow's First Fight. (A Ruth Ohi Picture Book).

Ruth Ohi.
Toronto, ON: Annick Press, 2012.
32 pp., pbk. & hc., $6.95 (pbk.), $19.95 (hc.)
ISBN 978-1-55451-370-3 (pbk.), ISBN 978-1-55451-371-0 (hc.).

Grades 1-4 / Ages 6-9.

Review by Trevor Lockhart.

**** /4

   

excerpt:

Chicken, Pig and Cow were the best of friends. They never even had a fight. One morning Girl made a city. The three friends were impressed. But chicken thought something was missing....


Can friends fight and still be friends? This is the central question that is asked and answered in Ruth Ohi's delightful book, Chicken, Pig, Cow's First Fight. Chicken decided that the city made of blocks needed a chicken statue made out of feathers and leaves. Pig was a little careless and knocked the chicken statue down. His attempts at fixing the statue only resulted in the rest of the city getting knocked down, too. Pig went off in a huff, and it was up to Chicken, Cow, and the hapless dog to restore order before "Girl" returned. Part way through the rebuilding, Pig returned to apologize for being a bad pig. The key line in the book is the moment of forgiveness when Cow explains, "You're not a bad pig. You're a good friend who was in a bad, bad mood".

internal art      Ruth Ohi's book reminded me of the Toy Story franchise, in that Pig, Cow, and Chicken appear to be inanimate toys when "Girl" is around, only to come alive when she leaves the room. The story explores the themes of friendship and forgiveness and makes the distinction between being a bad person and a good person who is just having a bad day. I discovered that this is just one of many books written about Chicken, Pig and Cow, and I would be interested to see how she handles other challenges with these cute characters.

      I noticed that the stories have been optioned for television, and so there is a good chance we will be seeing much more of Pig, Cow and Chicken in the near future, and that's a good thing. Ohi's soft watercolour illustrations are full of life and energy and are an integral part of the story telling.

Highly Recommended.

Trevor Lockhart is a public librarian in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364
Hosted by the University of Manitoba.
 

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