Higgledy Piggledy and the Pot of Gold by David J. Tomlinson

 I thought it was time for a little, wholesome fun and ran across today's read. This one is for readers, who are working on their skills before hitting larger, middle grade novels. I found the trio on the front adorable...and they might seem put together but I wonder if there might be some light chaos involved as the adventure unfolds. Or silliness. Or both? Hopefully. I also hope the illustrations are plentiful and fun.

First, I have to open it up and take a peek. So, let's find out!

HIGGLEDY PIGGLEDY AND THE POT OF GOLD

The Adventures of Higgledy Piggledy, Book 1

by David J. Tomlinson

Illustrated by Janna Mattia

4U2B Books & Media

Chapter Book

80 pages

ages 8 to 12 *

COMING JULY 15th!!!

(* While this is the advertised age group, I'm recommending it for 6 to 9 year-olds)

Welcome to the town of Oinkers!
Up on the hill lives Higgledy Piggledy, a fun-loving pig with a nose for adventure. With his clever sidekicks Snowy the sheep and Harem Scarem the hare, there’s never a dull moment in Oinkers—especially when cranky Mayor Crackling gets caught up in their mischief!

Higgledy Piggledy loves his crooked cottage, but Mayor Crackling does not. It doesn’t look like all the other houses in the village. The mayor wants it to be knocked down! As the bulldozers close in, a rainbow appears in the sky, leading to a hilarious chase for a pot of gold. But where lies the real treasure? That’s for Higgledy to reveal.

GOODREADS   /    PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

Animal adventure meets with fun tones and some important messages about doing your best to create an entertaining read.

Higgledy Piggledy is an adventurous pig, who enjoys life...but he's not always as orderly as the mayor of the town would like. The mayor has his very own ideas at how things should be run, even when it comes to Higgledy Piggledy's house, which is in a bit of disarray. Trying to satisfy the mayor's desires at least a bit, Higgledy Piggledy agrees to fix things up and repaints his house. At the reveal of his renovation, it's clear he painted it in a rainbow of colors. That is not what the mayor meant. And so, the adventure begins.

This adventure is written with slightly large font for easy reading with illustrations here and there for visual fun. The illustrations are well done and bring across the characters nicely as well as the various scenes. The writing fits well to those readers, who are sure of their words but need a little more time before attacking more difficult middle grade reads. So, although this one is sold for middle graders, I'd recommend it for a lower group, ages 6 to 9. Not only that, but the story and situations are more fitting to this lower age group.

The story itself is entertaining. Higgledy Piggledy and his friends are quite fun and carry just enough of an edge of mischief to draw readers in. The mayor is over-the-top, which adds another layer of humor as well. The writing allows many ridiculous details to constantly come through to keep the entire tale light and silly. All of the add-ins, however, caused a little confusion at times (sometimes less is more), especially for the reading level. The lovely illustrations add more understanding to the scenes, but a little more would have added another level of fun (but then, I'm an illustration fan). Plus, some of the silliness didn't come across right (for example: the rainbow house is portrayed in a black/white drawing with wiggly, two shaded stripes.) Still, these are small criticisms and the read is enjoyable, all in all.

It's a fun read with tons of potential and excitement, and I have no doubt that chapter book readers will enjoy it. Because Higgledy Piggledy is a fun pig.

And here he is...

David J. Tomlinson spent more than twenty years working in London as a TV comedy scriptwriter, script editor, and producer. He now lives on the coast in his native North Yorkshire with his partner, Julia.