The Pig War

How a Porcine Tragedy Taught England and America to Share

The Pig War
Emma Bland Smith
RRP:
NZ$ 38.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 31.19
Hardback
Not defined - 48pg
10 Feb 2021 US
International import eta 7-19 days
9781684371716
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
In 1859, the British and Americans coexist on the small island of San Juan, located off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. They are on fairly good terms--until one fateful morning when an innocent hog owned by a British man has the misfortune to eat some potatoes on an American farmer' s land. In a moment of rash anger, Lyman Cutlar shoots Charles Griffin' s pig, inadvertently almost bringing the two nations to war. Tensions flare, armies gather, cannons are rolled out . . . all because of a pig! Emma Bland Smith' s humorous text and Alison Jay' s folksy illustrations combine in this whimsical nonfiction picture book that models the principles of peaceful conflict resolution.
Two wars have been fought with England on American soil, and now in 1859, on the Northwest Coast island of San Juan, war number three is about to erupt [over a pig]. Smith deftly captures the retrospective absurdity of this historical incident with deadpan narration that will have young audiences slapping their foreheads in mock dismay over the childish behavior of hotheaded adults. Jay adds absurdity of her own in her visual parody of nineteenth-century art--portly, self-important men straining at their buttons, rendered in the dusty hues and crackled surfaces of naive folk art and portraiture. --The Bulletin of the Center for Children' s Books, starred review Jay' s crackled, primitivist illustrations of cannons and distant figures in antique dress and uniforms add a proper sense of period to Smith' s brisk account of the historical episode, which the author presents as a timely case study in how countries with differences can find peaceable alternatives to armed conflict. --Booklist, starred reviewThis is a true tale about two mighty nations, an ill-fated pig, and a most unusual war. It is also a story about sharing. ' That opening, in black, sans-serif lettering, is followed by. . . a jaunty, lighthearted tone that proceeds throughout the text. Colorful, stylized art against apparently distressed surfaces is an impeccable complement. Weirdly fascinating. --Kirkus Reviews Smith' s narrative dives into a strange and humorous slice of history that nearly started another war between the two countries. This porcine altercation is detailed with lofty humor that makes for an intriguing and endearing read. Jay' s distinctive illustrations, rendered in alkyd paint with crackle glaze varnish, lend an old-timey feel and playful whimsy that matches the tone of the text. The book' s humor and whimsy provide an interesting narrative nonfiction read for elementary classrooms. --School Library Journal
Emma Bland Smith is a children' s librarian and writer. Her first picture book, Journey, won Bank Street College' s Cook Prize and Northland College' s SONWA award. Alison Jay is a graduate of the London College of Printing and is the acclaimed illustrator of many picture books, including Calkins Creek' s A Lady Has the Floor. Her signature style is created using alkyd paint on thick cartridge paper, with a crackle varnish, giving an aged effect.
Status: Indent title, imported to order
ISBN-13: 9781684371716
Published: 10 Feb 2021
Published In: United States
Imprint: Boyds Mills Press
Publisher: Astra Publishing House
Format: Hardback
Pages: 48

In stock - for items in stock we aim to dispatch the next business day. For delivery in NZ allow 2-5 business days, with rural taking a wee bit longer.

Locally sourced in NZ - stock comes from a NZ supplier with an approximate delivery of 7-15 business days.

International Imports - stock is imported into NZ, depending on air or sea shipping option from the international supplier stock can take 10-30 working days to arrive into NZ. 

Pre-order Titles - delivery will vary depending on where the title is published, if local stock is available in NZ then 5-7 business days, for international imports it can be 10-30 business days. In all cases we will access the quickest supply option.

Delivery Packaging - we ship all items in cardboard sleeves or by box with either packing paper or corn starch chips. (We avoid using plastics bubble bags)

Tracking - Orders are delivered by track and trace courier and are fully insured, tracking information will be sent by email once dispatched.

View our full Order & Delivery information

Details of the product above will be automatically included with your enquiry.