Higgledy Piggledy

Higgledy Piggledy
A Tale of Four Little Pigs
Author: Dr. B. Seymour Rabinovitch with Rebecca S. Treger
Illustrator: Mari Gayatri Stern
Editor: Ruth A. Rabinovitch
Roxy Ann Press
Christian Book Distributors
Peabody, MA
ISBN: 978-0-9887474-0-1
2013
$ 14.95
42 pages

Have you ever felt that you did not fit in with your family or your friends? Have you ever been teased about being different? That is Higgledy Piggledy’s problem.

In this happy little pig family, Curly, Twirly, Whirly, and Higgledy Piggledy live a content life
baking apple pies, playing with butterflies and taking long naps. The only problem in any of their lives was that sometimes Higgledy Piggledy would be teased by Curly, Twirly, and Whirly. Why?

Higgledy Piggledy’s name did not rhyme with his brothers. Of course Curly, Twirly, and Whirly rhymed with each other and that made Higgledy Piggledy feel left out with his name that rhymed with itself. Three against one was not a good feeling.

That all was about to change when a new neighbor arrived, a big wolf.

Higgledy Piggledy is a classic fairy story based on a combination of tales from Jewish folklore and the classic tale of The Three Little Pigs. As with many children’s fairy tales, these were originally told from generation to generation with slight changes matching the personalities and needs of the teller and the audience.

It was not unusual for a tale after many tellings to be different from one town to the next evolving as it traveled.

The authors of Higgledy Piggledy add another valuable asset to this tale for the benefit for the adult readers of this book with an explanation of the last names used in the “New World of Opportunity”, meaning North America and how the traditional family names were adapted to their new lives as well as their heritage.

Higgledy Piggledy is a delightful family story with illustrations perfectly matching the progression in the story. This version of the story is very family friendly and easy for children of all ages to understand especially with the pictures perfectly parallel to the story.

Dr. B. Seymour Rabinovitch is a retired professor of chemistry at the University of Washington in Seattle, Oregon. His granddaughter, Rebecca Simone Treger is currently studying medical research.

One unusual positive attribute to this book is the quality of the pages. These pages are thicker than an adult book page but thinner than a toddler book making it perfect for little and big hands as well as the glossy finish making it somewhat stain resistant, durable, and long lasting for generations.

Higgledy Piggledy is a thoughtful and insightful version of The Three Little Pigs with lessons of recognizing individuality and belonging.