Publisher’s Summary:
Pip is a normal pig who does normal stuff: cooking, painting, and dreaming of what she’ll be when she grows up. One day a new pig comes to school and starts pointing out all the ways in which Pip is different. Suddenly she doesn’t like any of the same things she used to . . . the things that made her Pip.

Primary Source Pairing:
Many readers will see themselves in Pip. Readers who take time to visually explore the illustrations created by K-Fai Steele will probably also see themselves in many of the other characters who are present in the book. Steele’s ability to create a setting where characters come alive is effortless and wonderful. For this primary source pairing, use a primary source created at the time of study – a first hand account of the author and illustrator’s experience creating this book. Remind students that primary sources do not always mean old and dusty documents. They themselves are creators of primary sources.

Read the book first and then invite students to watch the video to extend their learning and visualization of Pip’s story and how it was created. For a multimedia experience or to accomodate a virtual learning environment, upload the YouTube video to an EdPuzzle activity and pose the discussion questions below.

Discussion Questions:

• Describe what you see and hear in the video.
• What do you notice first?
• What do you see from the book that looks familiar?
• Why do you think the author and illustrator K-Fai Steele created this book?
• Make a text to self connection from the book A Normal Pig.
• What questions would you ask author and illustrator K-Fai Steele?

Credits:
Book Cover and Summary: Follett
A NORMAL PIG | Behind the Story with K-Fai Steele, Published by HarperKids on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IdCDiaIua1M