Pearl Before Swine: A Farm Full of Follies

Some helpers follow the directions. Pearl follows them a little too closely.

It’s Pearl’s very first day at Sunny Acres Farm, and she’s determined to do every chore just right. Farmer Bell hands her a list and hurries off to town. “Just follow it,” he says, “and everything will be fine.”

So Pearl does exactly what the list says — every single word.

She pens the pigs (with a great big pen and a sheet of paper). She shoos the hens (in darling little shoes). She sows the seeds with a needle and thread, rounds the cows into one big round ring, and hangs plump prunes all over the apple tree. By the time Farmer Bell comes home, his farm is one wonderful, woolly, wing-flapping folly — until the warm smell of Pearl’s blackberry pie sets everything right.

Brimming with cozy watercolor illustrations and playful wordplay, Pearl Before Swine turns everyday sayings into giggle-out-loud misunderstandings. It’s a joyful reminder that a good heart — and a good pie — can fix almost anything.

Perfect for:

• Read-aloud fun with ages 4–8, and new readers building confidence

• Little ones learning idioms and figures of speech

• Fans of Amelia Bedelia and gentle, funny farm stories

• Story time at home, at bedtime, or in the classroom

Turn the page and meet the farmhand who takes every word to heart.