The Old Woman and Her Pig by Margaret Read MacDonald, illustrated by John Kanzler

Another Margaret Read MacDonald I'm going to try out! I'm familiar with the English version of this story, which is a cumulative tale of an old woman trying to get her pig to go over a stile so she can get home. In MacDonald's version of a Kentucky variant, an old woman is trying to get a pig to cross a bridge so she can get home to her little boy.

One of the major differences is that there's actually only a couple other animals involved and the bulk of the story is taken up by an explanation of the family situation, Old Woman's buying of the pig, and her efforts to get it across the bridge on her own. There are several refrains, "It sure was dark but the moon did shine" and Old Woman's little song.

Verdict: I prefer the older English version, but this could be a good storytime title as well.

ISBN: 978-0060280901; Published January 2007 by HarperCollins (out of print); Borrowed from the library