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from: HarperCollins
Amazon.com's Price: $8.99 Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Paperback
EAN: 9780062059246
ISBN: 0062059246
Label: HarperCollins
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 32
Publication Date: May 30, 1997
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Release Date: May 22, 1997
Sales Rank: 300334
Studio: HarperCollins
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Bitterly disappointed when his family falls asleep as he plays his newfound harmonica, a spirited young pig runs away'only to undergo harrowing adventures before he, with the aid of his magical sleep-inducing harmonica, can be reunited with his loving family.
Amazon.com Review:
Even a piece of garbage can change your whole life. One morning Zeke Pippin, a young pig, is moseying down the street when a harmonica falls off of a garbage truck, right in front of him. He takes it home, cleans it, and begins to play up a storm. He is a natural, soon regaling his family with the prelude to La Traviata. His family is very proud of him, but they instantly fall asleep upon hearing his tranquilizing tune. Zeke is indignant at their apparent rudeness and runs away from home, drifting down the Hinkaholly River on his trusty raft. Eventually, as he zeezles and zoozles on his harmonica, he notices that, judging by the effect his music has on other animals, he is in possession of a supernatural, sleep-inducing instrument. Zeke is sheepish. He can't believe he doubted the manners--the very integrity--of his family, who by now must miss him horribly: 'He knew he must bring them a surcease of their sorrow, as swiftly as possible, and clear up this painful misunderstanding.' Getting home, however, is not easy, and as it turns out, downright dangerous, but he successfully bamboozles his way until he finally faints upon the doormat of home sweet home. Zeke's family is overjoyed, and soon their boy becomes famous (more celebrated than the mayor) and everyone lives happily, musically ever after. William Steig's simple, expressive, comically deadpan drawings earned him a Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, (link to 067166154X) and Zeke Pippin, Steig's 25th book for children, deserves a beloved place right next to it on the bookshelf. (Age 4 to 104) --Karin Snelson
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - A zeezly, zoozly masterpiece
The picaresque tale of Zeke Pippin is stuffed to the gills with playful, musical lingo, manic plot-turns, and characters whose voices are intuitive and uproarious to read out loud. Read in the spirit in which it's written, kids of any age will dig this rollocking roller-coaster tale, and yes, you might just increase your vocabulary doing so!
Rating:  - Violent and inappropriate for kids
We're huge Steig fans here, but I found this book to be pretty scary - at one point the mother pig claims (about her missing son), "If I don't see my angel again soon... I'll shoot myself!" A little too heavy for my 4 year old... and my 8 year old too, for that matter.
Rating: - I can't believe this book was even published!
Page after page this book got worse and worse. The language was clumsy, inconsistent, and uninspiring. The story became increasingly dark. I stopped reading it to my daughter when the dogs were deciding how best to dispose of the harmonica playing pig. Parents, I urge you, there are so many better books to read to your kids than this uninspired mess.
Rating: - A Book Review from a Spiritridge Third Grader
Do you want to read an exciting, thrilling story that will make you want to annoy your parents by begging them to buy you a harmonica? Well, in the story Zeke Pippen, Zeke finds a harmonica. He gets good at playing it but every time he plays for his family they start to clap, then fall asleep! Zeke gets tired of their rudeness so he decides to run away. He travels by river on a raft. On the way Zeke takes a nap and he has a dream about his family flooking the house in tears. When he woke up ... Read More
Rating: - One of William Steig's very, very best books for kids
There was a time in my life where I practically had "Zeke Pippin" memorized, start to finish, so enormously popular was it with my young son and daughter. Even to this day, William Steig's superbly offbeat text (he describes harmonica-playing as "zeezling and zoozling" and when a character nods off, he later "nods back on again") is something to behold.
Steig resolutely refuses to talk down to kids. He throws in the occasional weird word, odd phrase, or elaborately worded paragraph ... Read More
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