The True Adventures of Esther the Wonder Pig

by Steve Jenkins, Derek Walter, Caprice Crane, Cori Doerrfeld (Illustrator)

Overview

Esther the Wonder Pig was an inspiration and an icon. In this adorable, love-filled picture book inspired by her two dads’ New York Times bestselling memoir, Esther teaches us that families come in all shapes and sizes.

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. Esther would soon grow too large for her bed, and their small apartment. She got into everything, including her neighbor's tasty garden. When her new family saw just how big and wonderful Esther really was, they fell in love—and their lives changed forever. 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). 

Readers will love following Ester and her family on the journey that leads them to create the Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary, home to rescued animals of all kinds.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316554763
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	03/06/2018
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	945,876
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

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 the rest of the 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 is the author-illustrator of Beneath and the New York Times bestselling The Rabbit Listened and has also created art for such books as That's Life! and Help Mom Work from Home! Cori lives in Minnesota with her husband, two children, and rescue dog, Jinx. You can visit Cori at coridoerrfeld.com.

Editorial Reviews

12/18/2017
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.)

Publishers Weekly

A 2019 Rainbow Book List Book
 Praise for The True Adventures of Esther the Wonder Pig:

​"Young readers are sure to fall in love with Esther just like her dads did."—School Library Journal

"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." —Publishers Weekly

"The delightful, digitally-painted illustrations are comical, colorful, and add just the right amount of detail to the well-written storyline. Young animal lovers will enjoy this book... a good example of narrative nonfiction for the youngest students and... a lovely story about love."—School Library Connection

Praise for Esther the Wonder Pig: Changing the World One Heart at a Time:
 "Not many people would change their entire lifestyle for the sake of a pet. But Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter did exactly that when their tiny "mini pig" Esther blossomed into a 650-pound beauty. This funny, moving, and heartwarming book charts the journey from Esther's arrival to the setting up of the Happily Ever Esther Farm. It's the greatest love story ever told between two men and their pig."—Ricky Gervais

"Told with self-effacing humor and a sense of wonder at what life can bring, Esther is the story of the transformative power of love between people and animals and how the decision to try to make a difference on a personal level can effect positive change far beyond anything that might have been imagined."—Larry Levin, New York Times bestselling author of Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love

"First, Jenkins and Walter opened their hearts to one very special pig, and now they are opening their doors and letting us in, too. Esther the Wonder Pig is a tender, funny story that manages to sneak up behind you when you're least expecting it and change your life. Be prepared to fall in love—with a pig."—Jasmin Singer, author of Always Too Much and Never Enough: A Memoir and co-host of Our Hen House

"Steve and Derek show us what we already know at Mercy for Animals—that farmed animals are just as deserving of love and respect as the dogs and cats we share our home with—or, in their case, the pig they share their home with."—Nathan Runkle, founder & president, Mercy for Animals

"An inspirational, enjoyable read, especially for animal lovers."—Booklist

"A good example of narrative nonfiction for the youngest students and...a lovely story about love. This would make a good, humorous addition to collections."—School Library Connection

From the Publisher

04/01/2018
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

School Library Journal