Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore! by David McPhail

A man is sitting quietly reading a book, when he hears the sound of eating. He discovers pigs- and plenty of them! Pigs of all kinds invade his home, order pizza, and make a huge mess. He demands that they leave, but they beg to stay. The man tells them they can stay, as long as they clean up the mess they have made.

• Read the title of the book on the cover, pointing to each word as you say it. Repeat the title with your child.
• Point to the picture on the cover. Say: This is a story about a man who is visited by a lot of pigs. Explain that aplenty and galore mean "a lot." Ask: Are the pigs behaving?

Reading the Story for the First Time

• Read the book, pointing to the words as you read. You might emphasize the words that rhyme, such as reading and feeding. Give your child plenty of time to look at the pictures.
• As you go through the book, talk about what the pigs do and what they are wearing.

Reading the Book Again and Again

• Each time you read Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore!, leave more of the "reading" or retelling to your child. Give open-ended prompts on each page.
• Give prompts about objects or activities in the pictures. For example, ask: What does the man slip on? (He slips on a banana peel.) Use your finger to point to what you are asking about. Evaluate the child's response. Expand it by giving more information. Ask the child to repeat the answer. If he or she needs help in answering a question, ask that question again the next time you read the book. Good words to ask about are listed in the vocabulary section below. Be sure to talk about objects and actions the child brings up, too.
• You may wish to discuss the prompts shown below.

Building Literacy

• Use the picture on the cover of this book to start the child talking about what else the piggies might do in the man's house.

Excerpted from Read Together, Talk Together, the Pearson Early Childhood research-based program that makes reading aloud even more effective!