Peng and Spanners: When Pigs Go Bad – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Random laugh-out-loud adventure.
Children’s book title: Peng and Spanners: When Pigs Go Bad.
Children’s author: Steve Webb.
Genre: High/low graphic novel.
Published by: Faber & Faber.
ISBN: 9780571372966.
Recommended for children aged: 7-10 year-olds.
First published: Paperback August 2024.
This children’s book is ideal for: Fans of easy reading and laugh-out-loud antics.
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Our review:
Peng and Spanners: When Pigs Go Bad is the second instalment of a madcap, colourful comic story that follows two protagonists, Peng and Spanners. Webb breaks the fourth wall at the onset with both characters promising for a dramatic and exciting read (they also confirm that there are no slippers or bananas in this book, unfortunately).
We’re then introduced to a villainous pig named Mr Big, and this pig craves to be evil. The reader soon questions Mr Big’s credibility – and sanity – because of the interactions with his pet cactus, Pinhead. Yes, a cactus. Wannabe superheroes, Peng and Spanners, also seem lacking in their endeavours due to their messy banter.
Spanners is a very chatty cat, and Peng seems to struggle with this, continuously responding with silly sarcastic idioms and expressions;
“Well, fill me with strawberries and call me a fruitcake, will you please shut up!”
This dialogue tends to take centre stage for much of the book, meandering along with little structure to the plot. Even so, Webb manages to weave action into this with ease, enrapturing the reader with the randomness of it all.
The speech bubbles are short and sweet, varying in size and font, with plenty of nonsense words and sounds that will sometimes take some effort for new readers to decipher.
The drawings are satisfyingly simple; in fact, facial expressions barely alter for each character, ultimately forcing readers to consider the supporting text. And the return of Web’s familiar secondary characters such as Cinderella Buckles adds to the laugh-out-loud craziness.
Our verdict:
Aimed at children aged 7-10, When Pigs Go Bad is ideal for readers who lack in confidence or crave a quick light-hearted read. The randomness of character, plot and dialogue breaks away from usual literary conventions, and in doing so, reminds children that reading can be fun.
Many thanks to Faber & Faber for the review copy.
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If you like Peng and Spanners: When Pigs Go Bad by Steve Webb you might also like: Peng and Spanners: Who Stole All The Pizzas? by Steve Webb, Supersquirrel and The Crazy Rain Maker by Russell Punter and Josh Cleland, River Rescue: A Peanut, Butter & Crackers Story by Paige Braddock and Agents of S.U.I.T.: From Badger to Worse by John Patrick Green and Pat Lewis.
Browse our Year 3 reading list.
