The Pig War: How a Porcine Tragedy Taught England and America to Share

by Emma Bland Smith, Alison Jay (Illustrator)

Overview

NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book
Winner of the Washington Library Association Towner Award

Here is a true story of how the great nations of America and England almost went to war in 1859 over a pig—but learned to share instead.

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684371716
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	11/10/2020
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	419,528
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	720L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

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.

Editorial Reviews

A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year

★ "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 naïve 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 review

★ "History has never been as much fun as you’ll find it represented in this cute picture book! The illustrations are very compelling and practically beg the reader to turn the page to see what comes next. This would be an excellent book to share with young or even older children when discussing this aspect of American history. Elementary libraries should definitely include this book in their collections." —School Library Connection, starred review

"This 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


"(A) funny explanation of a little-known event in American history... Alison Jay (A Lady Has the Floor) uses alkyd paint on paper with a crackle glaze varnish to give each illustration an old-timey feel; her colorful, folk-art style brings to life the various (often hot-headed) figures in the story. Bland Smith (Journey) delicately balances the absurd humor of the situation with the seriousness of the potential for yet another British-American war... an entertaining read and useful resource for young historians." -- Shelf Awareness

From the Publisher

11/01/2020

Gr 2–5—This true story takes place in 1859 in San Juan, an island located off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. An argument over a single pig pitted neighbor against neighbor and set into motion a series of events that led to a military standoff between England and America. Smith's narrative dives into a strange and humorous slice of history that nearly started another war between the two countries. American settler Lyman Cutlar was annoyed to find a pig in his potato patch. Cutlar killed the pig, which belonged to Charles Griffin, who was British. Cutlar offered to pay for the pig, but Griffin wanted more money than Cutlar was willing to pay. Their argument eventually resulted in the deployment of both the Queen's military and American battleships. This porcine altercation is detailed with lofty humor that makes for an intriguing and endearing read, though some older elementary readers may find the story's moralistic conclusion condescending. 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 centers the perspective of white colonizers and early America, and the text only mentions stolen Native land as an afterthought in the back matter. The author's note states, "Various countries had claimed ownership of this area over the centuries (stubbornly ignoring the fact that the indigenous Coast Salish and Northwest Coast peoples had lived there much longer)." VERDICT The book's humor and whimsy provide an interesting narrative nonfiction read for elementary classrooms, but the niche subject and erasure of Native history make it suitable only for additional purchase.—Allison Staley, Lake Oswego P.L., OR

School Library Journal

2020-09-15
“This 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 further text that’s broken up by red-inked headings for date, setting, characters, and mood. Continuing a jaunty, lighthearted tone that proceeds throughout the text, it informs readers that the mood is “About to change, for the worse.” The verso sports an antique-looking map of the Western Hemisphere with a detail of San Juan—a Pacific Northwest coast island of, in 1859, ambiguous provenance inhabited both by British employees of the Hudson’s Bay Company and a few American settlers. (The original, Indigenous residents are relegated to a parenthetical mention in the author’s note and figure not at all in the story.) As the story begins, an American named Lyman Cutlar angrily kills Brit Charles Griffin’s pig as it eats from Cutlar’s potato patch. Cutlar apologizes and offers to pay for the pig but then refuses to pay Griffin’s exorbitant asking price. Enter authorities from both nations in an escalation that eventually involves scores of warships. When war seems inevitable, Gen. Winfield Scott is sent by President James Buchanan to mediate. The text is true to its introduction, and it also pursues the idea that hotheadedness leads to disastrous consequences. Vocabulary, verbosity, and content suit this for older elementary, independent readers. The storytelling goes a bit flat at the end, when Cutlar is mentioned but not Griffin. Colorful, stylized art against apparently distressed surfaces is an impeccable complement. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 42.6% of actual size.)

Weirdly fascinating. (photographs, timeline, resources, artist’s note) (Informational picture book. 7-9)

Kirkus Reviews