Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Pigs
Nonfiction
For ages 4 to 8
Holiday House, 2000 ISBN: 978-0823415540
All over the world there are people who think that they know all there is to know about pigs. They think that pigs are “smelly and dirty” and that all pigs care about is to eat as much as possible.
The truth is that pigs prefer to be clean, and they are incredibly intelligent. They can be taught how to do tricks, and trained to search for things using their incredibly sensitive sense of smell. In France, people use pigs to search for valuable truffles that grow underground.
Pigs were domesticated by humans about eight thousand years ago, and since then humans have bred them so that there are many different kinds of pigs. Some are very large and they are raised to go to market, while others are kept as pets or as show animals.
In this excellent nonfiction title, Gail Gibbons gives young readers an interesting look at pigs. She tells us about their history, their physiology and behavior, and she helps us better understand why these animals are unique. At the back of the book, the author provides her readers with nine additional piggy facts.
