Hobart

Famous pigs Wilbur, Ace, and Babe would be proud of this fine porcine counterpart. Hobart and his siblings are artists who must develop their talents or face a rendezvous with the City Meat Truck. Additionally, they realize they owe thanks to Farmer Mills for raising them in a special environment. Sustained by a dream, hope, and bottle caps, they escape the farm and rise to the challenges they encounter. Anita Briggs leads in the narration of her story. Farmer Mills is proprietary and proud. Each of the pigs has a genuine and earnest young narrator. When they're ready for the performance of their lives, the recording reverberates with their collected talents, set to an engaging score. Budding poets, acrobats, singers, and dancers, listen well! A.R. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

February 2, 2004
Much like E.B. White's Wilbur, who was "some pig," Briggs's Hobart proves a memorable porcine character and supportive barnyard pal. With dreams of becoming a famous tap dancer, Hobart has a tough road to travel. But before he can ever try his clickety-clackety moves on stage, Hobart and his siblings, who have equally creative bents (a poet, acrobat and a singer), must find a way to avoid becoming bacon. Of course, when such a talented family is backed into a corner, they find a way to pool their strengths and save the day. Their down-on-the-farm musical featuring The Performing Pigs (actually a chorus of kids) makes for a fine finale. After a tentative, slightly rushed beginning, Briggs soon hits her stride as narrator, assuming a comfortable rhythm for her pie-in-the-sky story. She is gamely supported by a roster of young performers whose natural-sounding enthusiasm adds color and warmth to the tale. Ages 5-8.