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No mud! Small Pig loves to sit in good, soft mud. When the farmer's wife cleans his pigpen, Small Pig runs away. In the city he finds a new mud puddle—but it is not full of mud at all. And now Small Pig has one big problem!
E-Book Content
SMALL PIG Story and Pictures by Arnold Lobel For Dreamnose Contents Begin Reading About I Can Read Books Credits Cover Copyright About the Publisher 5 The small pig lives in a pigpen on a farm. 5 The small pig likes to eat, and he likes to run around the barnyard, and he likes to sleep. 6 But most of all the small pig likes to sit down and sink down in good, soft mud. 7 The farmer and his wife love the small pig. “We think you are the best pig in the world,” they say. 8 9 One morning the farmer’s wife says, “Today I will clean my house.” 10 She cleans the upstairs. Then she cleans the downstairs. 11 12 13 “My house is spotless,” says the farmer’s wife, “but the rest of this farm is very dirty. I will get to work and clean it up.” 14 The farmer’s wife cleans the barn and the stable and the chicken coop. 15 16 Then she comes to the pigpen. “Heavens!” cries the farmer’s wife. “This is the dirtiest spot of all.” 17 So she cleans the pigpen, and she washes the pig. 18 “That’s better,” says the farmer’s wife. “Now everything is neat and shiny.” “Where is my good, soft mud?” asks the small pig. “I guess it is gone,” says the farmer. “I’m sorry.” 19 The small pig is more than sorry. He is angry. “This place is too neat and shiny for me,” he says. 20 21 And that night the small pig runs away. 22 Soon he finds a swamp. “Ah!” cries the small pig. “Here is good, soft mud.” 23 The small pig sits down and sinks down into the mud. “Lovely, lovely,” he says, and then he goes to sleep. 24 “Ouch!” says the small pig as a dragonfly bumps into his nose. “Oops!” says the small pig as a frog jumps onto his head. 25 “Yow!” says the small pig. A turtle is biting his tail. 26 “Move yourself out of here!” says a big snake. “You are taking up space that belongs to us.” 27 So the small pig moves himself out of there in a hurry and runs on down the road. 28 “Here is a very dirty place,” says the small pig. 29 “There is sure to be some good, soft mud nearby.” The small pig finds broken bottles and old television sets. He finds kitchen sinks and empty soup cans, but he does not find mud. 30 31 “Cars are fun,” says the small pig, “but not as much fun as mud.” “Sofas are soft,” says the small pig, “but not as soft as mud.” 32 Then he sees something that he does not like at all. “That is why there is no mud around here!” cries the small pig. And he runs on down the road. 33 At the end of the is a large city. “Even the air is dirty here,” says the small pig. “There is sure to be some good, soft mud nearby.” 34 35 Soon the small pig finds what he is looking for. “Ah!” he says. “Here is mud.” 36 Then he sits down and sinks down into the good, soft mud. 37 “This mud is strange,” says the small pig. “It is not very soft at all. In fact, it is getting harder and harder.” 38 He tries to get up, but he cannot move. 39 Soon a few people stop to stare at the small pig. 40 41 More and more people come to see the small pig. 42 43 Then many, man