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The Water Gift and the Pig of the Pig by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. Illustrated by Linda S. Wingerter. Houghton Mifflin, 2003. ISBN 0-618-07436-8.

Reviews The Water Gift and the Pig of the Pig by Jacqueline Briggs Martin Illustrated by Linda S. Wingerter. Starred Review -- This poignant story of the magical gift a girl shares with her grandfather is a gem . . . Martin's magnificent prose will draw the audience in and keep them there. Wingerter's acrylic illustrations are swathed in soothing, subdued blues, greens, and tans‹the tranquil tones follow the story's gently sloping mood. -- Kirkus Reviews Starred Review -- As usual, Martin brings a grave wonderment to her storytelling, enlivening her dreamy tone with details of quietly brilliant originality and infusing her understated text with sympathetic emotion . . . As story of family, as story of bad luck surmounted, as a quietly effecting pig tale, and more, this is a nuanced and satisfying production. --Bulletin

The book is a great read-aloud from kindergarten on up. Do allow time to relish such phrases as Grandmother's "determination hat," the villain who was so mean he "wouldn't give away the good smell from a piece of warm toast," and to enjoy the illustrations that fit the mood of this right on tale. -- Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Newsletter, Volume 8, Number 4. Read the full review at www.carolhurst.com/newsletters/0804newsletters.html

Martin elegantly unfurls a story filled with memorable characters and colorful details, as well as comforting images of loyalty and familial ties. Wingerter's lushly textured acrylic paintings set an almost timeless mood, striking a balance between folk art and nods to some of the American masters. This little piggy will likely be a storytime favorite. -- Publishers Weekly

Real-life magic is quite at home in Martin's magical text, rich with images and the slow cadence of yesteryear. Wingerter matches the nostalgic feel with her acrylics in an antique palette, showing a coastal idyll of farm and sea, simple figures in a naive folk-art style standing out against the misty landscape. -- Horn Book