Available:*
Material Type | Library | Call Number | Suggested Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book | Searching... Wayne Public Library | 636.4088 JEN | Juvenile | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
The true story of social media sensation Esther the Wonder Pig and her two dads that inspired the New York Times bestselling memoir for adults is now being told in a picture book with adorable illustrations and a message of love.
When Steve and Derek adopted a mini pig named Esther, they had no idea that she would turn out to be not-so-mini after all. When her new family saw just how big and wonderful Esther really was, they fell in love--and their lives changed forever. Esther would soon grow too large for her bed, and their small apartment. She got into everything, including her neighbor's tasty garden. So the whole family moved from a small apartment to a big farm, where Esther and her animal friends could fit happily (and get into a little less mischief). Eventually, that farm would become the Happily Esther After animal sanctuary, home to rescued animals of all kinds.
Author Notes
STEVE JENKINS and DEREK WALTER are among the world's most popular and successful animal activists. They founded the Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary in 2014 in Ontario, Canada where they continue to rescue abandoned and abused animals. Their memoir Esther the Wonder Pig was a New York Times bestseller, and this is their first picture book. You can visit them, along with Esther and the rest of her family, at estherthewonderpig.com! CAPRICE CRANE is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling, five-time novelist, screenwriter, and television writer. Her humor and satirical observations have earned her a loyal social media following and the distinction as one of The Huffington Post's 50 Funny People You Should Be Following on Twitter. Her passion is animal rescue, and in 2014 she founded a 501c3 non-profit called Gauze for Paws. CORI DOERRFELD grew up with dogs, cats, gerbils, hamsters, fish, and a rabbit, but has yet to own a pig. She has illustrated many children's books including a board book series with Elise Broach. Cori is also the author and illustrator Matilda in the Middle, Penny Loves Pink and the upcoming The Rabbit Listened, and Good Dog . She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her family and rescue dog, Rufus.
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-A human couple gets more than they bargained for when they adopt a piglet named Esther in this charming picture book. When Esther's dads first rescue her, they erroneously believe she is a mini pig and add her to the household of two dogs and two cats. As Esther grows to be six hundred pounds, she gets into trouble, but, despite all the mischief she causes, Esther's dads can't help but love her. Based on their adult memoir, Esther the Wonder Pig, Jenkins and Walter, who are Esther's real-life dads, and Crane bring this sweet family story to life for a younger audience. Doerrfeld's warm illustrations, done in digital paint, are able to capture both the affection between Esther and her dads, and the humor caused by her playful, rambunctious nature. Photos of the real Esther, along with information about the farm sanctuary in which she lives, are included. VERDICT Young readers are sure to fall in love with Esther just like her dads did.-Laura J. Giunta, Garden City Public Library, NY © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Many animal lovers have already heard of Esther: she's the 650 lb. rescue pig with 1.5 million followers on Facebook and Instagram. She also made her "dads," Jenkins and Walter, animal activist celebrities: they opened an animal rescue farm after adopting her and, along with Crane, wrote an adult memoir about Esther. With the help of Doerrfeld's cheery, straightforward cartooning, Esther's story becomes a sweet domestic comedy, as much about besotted parental love as it is about life with a behemoth pig. Esther can't help that she needs increasingly bigger beds ("We thought she was supposed to be a mini pig," say her fathers, who do and say everything together). But Esther can do no wrong, even when she does: each transgressive episode ends with the hearts-embellished refrain, "She looked up at her dads with those eyes and that smile... it was love." An Esther-goes-missing subplot in the final pages feels unnecessary-there's plenty of narrative fodder in a pig who takes over a family. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Erica Spellman Silverman, Trident Media Group. Illustrator's agent: Rachel Orr, Prospect Agency. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
