Cover Image: Pigology

Pigology

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Member Reviews

Pigology by Daisy Bird and Camilla Pintonato is an illustrated book filled with information about pigs. This books covers includes facts about the potential early ancestors of the modern-day hog, detailed descriptions of swine anatomy (including reproduction), how pigs are viewed by different cultures, information about the many uses of swine by-products, and more. The illustrations are cute, but they also contribute greatly to the text. For example, readers are able to see the size difference between various types of pigs through the use of a simple illustration. Although this book contains a great deal of information, I found it easy to read. The information about each pig related topic is enough to give us a brief overview, but not so dense that it becomes boring or overwhelming.

This is a book that I would recommend for upper elementary to middle school students, especially those that love animals.

#pigology #netgalley

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Pigology, by Daisy Bird and illustrated by Camilla Pintonato is a bright little picture book about….Pigs. It reads like it’s aimed at children, but adults (young and old) may also enjoy this.

Sure enough, the book covers pretty much every aspect of “Pigs” you’d want to know. The origin of pigs, wild pigs, the variations, their insides, teeth and tusks, intelligence (and they are bright) to name a few. All in all, there are twenty sections. Everything beautifully drawn, and nicely explained. It’s all very easy to follow and nice on the eye.

My only criticism here is, there should have been a little more about the vast majority of miserable pigs who live and suffer in horrible conditions for their short life. Many in spaces not bigger than their bodies.

Obviously, a book such as this is designed to be a happy learning experience, I get that. The book did touch on the amount of waste pigs generate (colossal amounts) and eat, and the fact happy pigs, do better than unhappy pigs. However, I really believe there should have been half a page on the environmental and welfare issues associated with the intensive farming of the 700-800 million pigs world-wide.

I truly believe this could be presented in a way that is not upsetting or confronting but informative. It is important to inform children (this one isn’t aimed at toddlers), this can be done in a way to keep it a happy and interesting read. Maybe highlighting the importance of sustainable, free range farming.
If this was done a little better, I would’ve given this delightfully presented book 5-stars.

3-Stars

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I enjoyed this book just as much as my 5 year old who needs to know everything about everything. I was originally drawn in by the illustrations but I can’t believe how much I learned, or how much there is to learn, about pigs while reading this book. It’s so detailed without ever being boring, and the illustrations are so cute. 5/5 stars

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This wonderfully illustrated and fun, fact-filled book will be a smart addition to any library. I really enjoyed turning the pages and reading all the information about pigs. They truly are amazing creatures and it is interesting to see how often they fit into many different cultures.

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I loved the illustrations and I loved the depth that the information went into. I would say that as part of a research project on animals it would be great for children.

I do wonder if the age it caters for would not necessarily be draw to this kind of book but it could possibly create awareness of how interesting Pigs and other animals are.

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So many pig facts! This book is a nicely arranged book that talks about every aspect of pigs.

I read this book with my first and third graders. They really liked the facts about the pigs nose, the pork dishes around the world, and different types of pigs.

As far as reading level, it is a bit more challenging due to some of the technical terms and different cultural terms. A few words were a challenge for my 3rd grader that reads well above her grade level. Topic wise I think this book can be enjoyable for kids and adults alike.

The illustrations are very well done and help explain the facts very well. My kids thought the pages showing all the different pig rears was hilarious.

Even though this book is very comprehensive, a shorter version might be beneficial for younger readers.

Overall, an enjoyable book. I think we all learned something new!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a free digital copy of this ARC for my honest review.

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This book is a delightful read for pig lovers, though those who don't eat pork will need a trigger warning. Lots of cool facts and sweet art to enjoy!

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This book was really interesting, and I loved the illustrations, but I don’t know, it kind of weirded me out how it would go from “pigs are amazing” to “this is how we eat them all over the world”. Apart from that, this was a great book. It has quite a bit of text, so I’d recommend it for children older than 7.

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This book is a wonderful look into the lives and physiologies of pigs. It gives a very broad and comprehensive overview including things like, their history, different breads, attributes of pigs, how their bodies work, and how they have been part of different histories and cultures.

The illustrations were great. Very cute and clear. I think the information was well organized throughout the book. The pages also had the information broken up in a very concise and easy to read manner.

The vegetarian in me didn't love the discussion about turning them into meat products. But I did appreciate that it was well noted in the book that pigs should be treated well in their lives.

I would welcome this book formatted for other animals as well!

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC. #Pigology #NetGalley

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Pigs! Oink oink, lots of details in this encyclopedia of pigs. The author describes the animal family including the number of toes on each foot. We see illustrations of the pigs anatomy. We learn vocabulary of different types (ages) of pigs.
We are treated to pictures of cartoon pigs we know. We learn about many international breeds of domesticated pigs.
This book is quite detailed; I learned so much. I also liked the illustrator’s work and looked up her webpage https://camillapintonato.com I’m puzzled why the author prefers to be known by a pseudonym rather than giving her real name.

Now I want to read Chickenology!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Princeton Architectural Press for letting me learn about PIGS.

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After reading the author's Chickenology book, am hooked. As interesting as the previous volume, this one tells the origin of pig, how wonderful they are as pets as well as farm animal, how many different pigs there are, and more trivia about pig that we might not know.

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Pigology is the most beautifully illustrated and informative book on pigs I’ve ever read! The colorful illustrations are a pleasure to look at and the information on pigs is fascinating. Both children and adults will come away with more knowledge than they thought possible on pigs from this lovely book. Absolutely recommended!

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This is a Non-Fiction Children's Book. This is a book fill of facts about pigs. I found this book cute, interesting, and eye opening. I learn some things I did not know about pigs. I also think that the pictures are very cute and helps you take in the facts. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Princeton Architectural Press) or author (Daisy Bird) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that. This book is schedule to be release on October 26-2021.

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The illustrations in this book are amazing and I particularly liked the multitude of piggy tails inside the cover - such fun! Although younger children would enjoy the pictures, the reading level makes this more of an upper elementary book and I can see it being used as a research book for a student wanting to do a project on pigs. There is a wealth of information in this book, but I wasn't sure that I found the layout particularly user-friendly. It's not a book you can read to a group of students, but it would make a great addition to a class research library.

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Pigology by Daisy Bird and Camilla Pintonato may look like a cute little picture book. However, it is really a fantastic book full of information about pigs. Written in a similar style to an infographic, the book has plenty of factual information for any pig lover or school kid doing a report on pigs. This may not be the book you want to sit down with your young child for story time, but it is a visually appealing nonfiction book for older elementary ages.

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This is an educational book about pigs aimed at 6-10 year olds. It has a lot of information in it and may work well for its target audience, but I think it’s probably better for the older end of that scale.

I did not find it particularly interesting, although there were a few fascinating details. The illustrations are limited and there is a lot of text. As a pig lover, I expected to like this more than I did, but even looking at it as an educational resource for children, I didn’t truly feel the information was presented in a fun way that would pique curiosity and help children retain information about the subject matter.

Additionally, I was bothered by some of the choices the author made in her presentation of information.

First, she begins by saying that every domesticated pig will eventually be eaten. This was strange to me. A lot of people have pigs as actual pets, not livestock. It may not be the most common pet, but it isn’t unheard of. The author very briefly acknowledges the possibility of pigs as pets toward the end of the book, although it doesn’t look like she thinks that’s a good idea. Pet pig owners will not be eating their pets one day, not even when they pass. It seemed strange to me that there would be such a generalized and false statement made about *all* domesticated pigs, as it will affect the way young minds process their understanding of pigs as pets.

Also, there’s so much text for kids to process. Some of the information is explained thoroughly and some of it does come across as child-friendly. However, there are parts, such as the mention of castration, with no explanation as to what that actually is. Whether or not you believe this is appropriate to explain to children doesn’t change the fact that it appears in the book and curiosity may be sparked. They might ask for clarification from an adult. Furthermore, the author didn’t have a problem describing a male pig’s penis or how he goes about mating, so I don’t think she had any firm boundaries with that information. It just seemed to be presented with the expectation that children would know what castration means.

There were other inconsistencies in details that stood out for me as well. For example, I know what headcheese is, but how many kids do? Again, it isn’t necessarily something that they need details on at that age, but if it’s going to be brought up, I feel that the author should have explained what it meant. I found it so odd that so many things were granted drawn out details while other terms were dropped with no explanation at all.

I think every educator should look through this book thoroughly before deciding if it’s something they want to use as a tool. There is a lot that can be learned about pigs in this, although I didn’t care much for the execution.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am immensely grateful to Princeton Architectural Press for my digital review copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Pigology will be out on October 26, 2021.

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Pigology is an illustrated encyclopedia all about the pig. This book is really informative as well as fun. I learned a lot about pigs that I didn't know, which is sometimes surprising as an adult reading a children's book! This book is filled with all things pig from scientific information about breeding and cultivation, to historic information about domestication over the years, to mythological references in different cultures, to how they have been used as food, and much more. It's quite long with a lot of text so it is definitely for older kids or ones with a love for all things animals. The illustrations are really nice as well. Overall, I learned some new things and found it enjoyable!

Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Review to come October 14th on blog/goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

So remember my Chickenology review from earlier this year (if not be sure to click the link). I was a big fan of that book and so I was excited to see Pigology: The Ultimate Encyclopedia appear on Netgalley. It was by a different author, but with the same illustrator. I just couldn't resist. And I definitely hope we get more of these books. Maybe cows next? Or horses? Or sheep? Or... wait, I could just keep on going with all the animals, haha.

And this was such a delightful book to read! We learn about some history on pigs (though it seems a lot of it is still unclear, but it would definitely be cool if that hell pig was an ancestor), we read about their toes (two of them), about the various wild pigs/boars that exist (all of the cute of course). And there is plenty more on how pigs got to be pigs and boars got to be boars. Next to that we learn more about what else pigs can do. Like did you know they could swim? Or that they love toys and may prefer new over familiar? And there is more! It was just all so interesting to read and while I knew quite a bit about pigs already... I learned some new things while reading this book. Oh and I learned that if I want a pig I would love a Belgium Pietrain or a Limousin. Not that I can get a pig in my garden, but you know, just let me dream a bit.

Of course, we don't just learn about pigs being alive. We also learn what meats you can get out of a pig, about sausages and various dishes around the world, but also that a pig can be used for more than that. Brushes, heart valves, and more. I knew a few of the things that were made with pig, but I also learned some new ones. Like fine bone china!

I was also happy to see mythology and mottos/sayings and famous pigs and special kinds of pigs appear in the book. When they say Pigology they really meant pigology! Everything comes by.

The art was just as lovely as in the Chickenology book! I just wanted to reach out and grab a pig and give him/her a big cuddle.

All in all, I would highly recommend this book to all. This was just so much fun! I learned new things, got to see some adorable pigs.

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This was a beautifully illustrated encyclopedia of pigs. Yes, pigs! They’re not exactly my favorite animal, but I thought this book was very well done. It would also be a great read for any young animal lovers. .

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I had NO idea that there was so much information about pigs! This book was very informative and had good illustrations with useful text features. This book would be perfect for any pig lover.

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