Every other barnyard animal gets to be background scenery. The pig gets a plot. Because a pig is raised to be eaten, its story starts with a clock already running, and children work that out faster than adults expect — which is why so many pig books are secretly about talking your way out of your own fate. The rest of the genre is pure appetite and nerve: the mud, the enormous opinions, the toast with a great deal of butter on it, the small pink creature who has decided she is going to fly today whether or not the physics cooperate.
Drawing from Bookroo’s collection of 590 pig books, our editors chose twelve that cover the whole range — a Caldecott Medal winner who blows the pigs out of their own illustration, the wolf’s side of the straw-house story, the runt bought for a nickel, and the early reader a five-year-old can finish by herself. Start with the fixed shortlist below, then work down through the age shelves: board books for toddlers who mostly want the mud, picture books for the fairy-tale years, and chapter books for readers ready to find out what happens to a pig somebody loves.
A pig befriends a spider who devises a plan to save his life from slaughter.
A wolf tells his side of the story about what really happened with the three little pigs.
Three pigs get blown clean out of their own illustration and go wandering through other people’s stories.
A small pig with enormous opinions wears out her family, the museum, the beach, and finally herself.
One friend is certain she can fly today. The other is certain she cannot. Only one of them is willing to try.
A house pig who lives on buttered toast climbs into bed with her people, and the floor gives way.
An orphan piglet won at a fair grows up among sheepdogs and decides to try their job — politely.
A talking bone helps a pig outsmart robbers and a hungry fox.
The mother of the house does everything for everyone, then leaves a note — and the family she leaves behind starts looking distinctly porcine.
Hand a pig one pancake and you will be busy for the rest of the day.
A new pig at school begins pointing out everything that makes one classmate’s lunch, family, and hobbies not normal.
A runt piglet smuggled home as a temporary favor is still growing in a city backyard when Thanksgiving arrives.
Chunky first books full of piglets, puddles, barnyard noises, and this-little-piggy toes, for ages 0–3.
A tidy pig must learn to make a mess to fit in.
A wolf's descendant seeks pigs. Friend or foe?
Pookie's bedtime routine turns into a playful adventure.
Pookie's mom tries to uncover why Pookie is upset.
Join the dance party and shimmy with Little Pookie in a toe-tapping adventure.
A busy piglet ensures Christmas goes perfectly, but will it?
Join three little pigs at a party where manners meet fun.
Join a father and daughter on a playful, interactive day filled with love and laughter.
A little pig's day unfolds in charming rhymes and colorful scenes.
Pookie's birthday excitement can't wait for dawn. Will anyone wake up to celebrate?
A clever rabbit must outwit a girl to escape her grasp.
Join piggies on a whimsical counting adventure from one to ten.
Three Little Pigs retellings and fractures, mud-loving troublemakers, funny early readers, and a few genuinely tender read-alouds, for ages 3–8.
A brave tiger's only fear: worms. Can he overcome it?
Piggie wants to thank everyone, but Gerald fears someone important will be forgotten.
Can Gerald embrace Piggie's surprising new identity?
Can Gerald join Piggie's favorite celebration, or will he be left out?
Can Harold and Hog's friendship endure a game of pretend?
A new pig in town finds friendship and adventure in unexpected places.
Two friends discover they're in a book. What happens when it ends?
A pig on a farm befriends a new animal.
A story about a pig in a wig and her friends on a boat.
A pig's bedtime is disrupted by noisy farm animals. Can she find peace to sleep?
A character named Gus helps his friends with various problems using items he has stored.
Three pigs tame a wolf for circus tricks, but will he bite?
Barnyard heroes, buttered-toast farce, sheep-herding underdogs, and farm novels with something real at stake, for independent readers ages 6–12.
A pig-keeper's quest to become a hero in a battle of good versus evil.
A boy faces life's harsh realities on a Shaker farm.
A pig named Mercy thwarts a thief's plans and leads a wild chase through the neighborhood
A young girl secretly rescues a neglected piglet. Will her plan succeed?
A pig named Mercy loves to ride in the car with her owner Mr. Watson every Saturday, but things take a turn when she decides to take the wheel
A boy's life hinges on a pig's heart, revealing unexpected bonds and secrets.
Animal detectives chase pie thieves and shoplifters in a whimsical adventure.
A pig runs for mayor to stop a rival's ambitions.
A pig in a leotard uncovers circus secrets and wins a Nobel Prize.
Kids accidentally launch into space with a mischievous nanny. Chaos ensues.
A flying pig faces a runaway lion and a plot to send kids away.
A nanny pig must thwart a marriage to save her job and chocolate breakfasts.
