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A wickedly feminist tale if there ever was one, this is the story of Mrs. Pigott, domestic drudge to her husband and two sons. Tired of her lot, she leaves them for a few days, her only message being a note on the mantel: ``You are pigs.'' As the days pass and the menfolk fail miserably at fending for themselves, a unique transformation occurs: they become pigs in fact as well as in habit. Never fear, though; Mrs. P. returns, chores are divided up democratically, and peace and tranquility are restored. The feminist theme would bludgeon the plot were it not for the exceedingly clever illustrations: even before the porcine evolution of the males, there are hints of piggery everywherein the father's lapel carnation, the boys' upturned noses, a piggy bank, a light switch. After the transformation, pigs turn up everywhere, including on the wallpaper (which was formerly a rose design). Browne also uses a sly before-and-after technique in his portrayal of Mrs. Pigott, who starts out as a drab, shadowy figure, face averted, while the males are brightly drawn in full light and full-face. After the victory for women's rights, however, Mrs. P. is drawn in an equal style. In terms of cleverness and style, this one brings home the bacon.

朱家的生活看起来不错，房、车、花园，一应俱全；爸爸和兄弟两个被妈妈照顾得无微不至。然而这一天晚上，任劳任怨、辛勤顾家的妈妈突然不见了。一纸留言：“你们是猪”表明了妈妈对朱家父子的不满和失望。没有妈妈的朱家乱套了！
看过本书，我们发现男主外、女主内的观念似乎并不只是中国的传统家庭伦理，妈妈操持家中一切杂物的现象放之四海而皆有；因此而起的争执之声久宣不止，安东尼?布朗却以其特有的幽默方式，轻松的引导大家对于如何处理家庭琐事的分工与分担，进行了又一次的思考。同时，故事中，两个小男孩的转变也再一次提醒我们，家庭生活中，妈妈带给孩子无微不至的爱和照顾，然而对孩子，尤其是男孩子的行为起决定性影响的往往是爸爸。故事里对这一问题的阐释，沿袭了安东尼?布朗作品中一贯的超现实手法，但这部着重于描写家庭亲情伦理的作品，将超现实的想象与现实的场景结合得格外巧妙入扣，画面中处处隐藏的伏笔，轻巧地与看似不动声色的文字基调相互映衬，当读者一一发现其中妙处的时候，早已忍俊不禁了。