Book Review: 'Pig Tales'
A heartwarming tale of two souls, friendship and imagination
A delightfully small book that will sneak up on you and bring joy, Pig Tales from author Maggie Service is the story of Gerty, a young female pig who has a mystical intervention of love happen upon her life, courtesy of Bella, her young keeper.
With colorful sketches by Anna de Polnay, this young reader narrative of a pig that is magically transformed and soon discovers how that can lead to acts of kindness, is showcased in flights of heartbreak, realization of self, and heroism.
Service frames the storytelling in modern-day colloquial and soft British-isms, that harken back to images of summertime spent on the farm, walks in the tall grass, and reading bedtime stories. And yet, there are lessons to be learned every step of the way, gleaned from today’s troubling atmosphere of bullying and intolerance to a bridge-building understanding of gender fluidity and creative thinking.
The narrator, by coincidence or not, has touches of an otherworldly, patient figure and if you’re familiar with Service’s acting and voice-over work, you’d be hard-pressed not to hear in your head her unique talents at work as she writes:
Gerty opened the box, inside were little squashy pink cubes covered in icing sugar. She put one in her mouth and it was quite the yummiest thing she could ever have dreamed of. It was soft and squidgy and sweet and tasted just like the scent of the perfect rose garden.
The touches of humor sprinkled about will definitely leave you with a smile. And if you’re so inclined to read this aloud to young ones over the coming holiday season (and engage with the thought-provoking exercise at the story’s end), you won’t be disappointed.
Pig Tales by Maggie Service can be purchased in the US, UK, Germany, Spain, France, and Italy on Amazon.
The way you describe Maggie Service’s writing makes me feel like I’m already familiar with Gerty’s world. It sounds like a perfect read for cozy winter evenings!