the pig, the elephant, and the wise-cracking bird

Meet Ogden Oink, a fun-loving, adventurous, likeable piglet. He dresses and speaks as humans do, gets into more than his fair share of difficulties because he interprets figurative expressions literally, and he does not understand various meanings of polysemous (i.e., multiple-meaning) words.
A studious-looking, somewhat didactic bird appears throughout near the edges of the pages to add even more figurative language to the story. The "language confusion" humor will get young readers thinking about language-and laughing, too.

FORMAT: Hardcover; 32 pgs; 10x10” | ON-SALE: 8.8.23 | PRICE: $17.99 (USD) | ISBN: 9781612546018 | BISAC: Juvenile Fiction; Social Themes; Concepts+Words | RECOMMENDED READERS: Ages 5-10

"Who wouldn't love this charming tale of a little pig searching for a runaway elephant who's hiding in plain sight? Common idioms are cleverly woven into this fun detective story and are explained at the end. The happy ending will delight any young reader, and so will the lovely illustrations that are a feast for the eyes. (That's an idiom too!)" —Marvin Terban, Bestselling Author of In a Pickle, Mad as a Wet Hen, Punching the Clock, and Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms

"I don't want to put the cart before the horse, but if Ogden the pig finds the baby elephant, he'll certainly put the hay in the barn for this charming and informative story." —Paul Meisel, Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Honoree for I See a Cat and See Me Run

"Learning expressions is very important. It is one of the first forms of poetry, like nursery rhymes, and teaches us how to play with words, listen to surreal music, and picture described images. Above all, they're fun! There is humor in Ogden's chase, and humor is so important-it makes the heaviness light. Long live the elephant and the pig!" —Serge Bloch, Society of Illustrators Gold Medal Winner and Author of Reach for the Stars and Butterflies in My Stomach

"Hats off to The Pig, the Elephant, and the Wise-Cracking Bird-a charming story that will help children learn and understand idioms in a delightful and amusing way." —Denise Brennan-Nelson, Award-Winning Author of My Momma Likes to Say

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