The Peppermint Pig

by Nina Bawden, Alan Marks (Illustrator)

'What a consummate storymaker Nina Bawden is' MICHAEL MORPURGO

WINNER OF THE GUARDIAN AWARD FOR CHILDREN'S FICTION

'D'ya want a peppermint pig, Mrs Greengrass?'
Poll looked at the milkman, thinking of sweets, but there was a real pig poking its snout out of the milkman's coat pocket. It was the tiniest pig she had ever seen. 'What's a peppermint pig?'
'Runt of the litter. Too small for the sow to raise. He'd only get trampled in in the rush.'
Mother took the pig from him and held it firmly while it kicked and squealed. 'Well, he seems strong enough. And even runts grow.'
'Oh,' Poll said. 'Oh, Mother.' She stroked the small, wriggling body. 'Theo,' she shouted, 'Look what we've got!'

It is a difficult year for the Greengrasses. Poll's father has lost his job and gone overseas, the family are living off the charity of two aunts, and Poll and her brother Theo just can't seem to keep out of trouble. It takes a tiny, mischievous pig to bring laughter back into their lives.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Historical, Classics

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Nina Bawden was a popular British novelist and children's writer. Her mother was a teacher and her father a marine.

When World War II broke out she spent the school holidays at a farm in Shropshire along with her mother and her brothers, but lived in Aberdare, Wales, during term time.
Bawden attended Somerville College, Oxford, where she gained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

Her novels include Carrie's War, Peppermint Pig, and The Witch's Daughter.

A number of her works have been dramatised by BBC Children's television, and many have been translated into various languages. In 2002 she was badly injured in the Potters Bar rail crash, and her husband Austen Kark was killed.

Bawden passed away at her home in London on 22 August 2012.

Reviews

[Jola · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could you possibly have guessed that this book with such a hyper-cute cover has the most inexplicably cruel ending I've ever seen in children's literature?

If 'The Peppermint Pig' (1975) by Nina Bawden was a book for adults, I would have rated it much higher. I am impressed by its nostalgic beauty and the way it evokes memories from the summers spent in the countryside, which I was fortunate enough to experience myself as a little girl. Friendships with farm animals included. I loved the way Nina Bawden captures the magic moments of everyday family life. I highly enjoyed her writing style also. 'The Peppermint Pig' is definitely a children’s book, though. That's why I can see a few complications here.

Please, note that the problem might lie mostly within me, not within the book, as Nina Bawden touches – punches would be a more appropriate word here, actually - exactly the areas I am oversensitive about. One of the reviewers called this novel comforting so I might be exaggerating. It's up to you to decide.


John Singer Sargent, 'Village Children', 1890. [Image source]

When I read the first sentence of the novel : 'Old granny Greengrass had her finger chopped off in the butcher’s when she was buying half a leg of lamb.' – by the way, one of the most astonishing openings ever – a little red light in my mind started beeping shyly, but I ignored it, thinking that I’m aggrandizing it and that it’s just the author’s harsh sense of humour. Besides, my own grandmother almost chopped off her finger herself once - everything ended well, fortunately - so I really could relate to this story. The anecdote is repeated a few times throughout the novel.

If I’m overreacting, please correct me, but given the fact, that the ideal audience of 'The Peppermint Pig' are - I would estimate - 9-12 year olds, I found the following excerpts pretty disturbing:

'Poll said, ‘What do you mean about biting off puppies’ tails?’
‘That’s what the groom at the Manor House used to do. My mother was cook there, you know. I’ve seen that groom pick up a new litter one after the other, bite off the tail at the joint and spit it out, quick as a flash. The kindest way, he always said, no fuss and tarradiddle, and barely a squeak from the pup.’

'She hit him in the stomach, he grunted and fell and she fell on top of him. He tried to get up but she grabbed his hair with both hands and thumped his head up and down.
She couldn’t move but Noah’s laughing face was above her so she spat into it as hard as she could and said, ‘Damn you, you rotten bug, damn and blast you to hell…’

'She made a best friend called Annie Dowsett who was older than she was and who told her how babies were born. ‘The butcher comes and cuts you up the stomach with his carving knife,’ Annie said.'

'Theo was wild with rage and that gave him the advantage. He broke loose and punched Noah in the throat, a murderous blow that made Noah gurgle and gasp. Theo hit him again, in the stomach, and Noah doubled over and fell. Theo kicked him as he lay crumpled against one of the tombstones. Poll saw Theo’s face, pale and exultant and terrible, and shouted, ‘Stop, oh stop, Theo,’ but although he turned his head briefly towards her he took no notice of her anguished cry. He flung himself on top of Noah and fastened his hands round his neck…'


Pierre Auguste Renoir, 'Jean and Genevieve Caillebotte', 1895. [Image source]

Well, I know it’s almost nothing compared to the computer games some kids play every day but these scenes made me feel uneasy, especially when I realized the age of the readers this book was intended for. I’m fully aware of the fact that children do fight and that both Pol and Theo had the right to feel angry, having been bullied by nasty Noah, but in this novel aggression seems to be an instinctive and effective way to solve conflicts.

In my opinion there is quite a mess as far as the idea behind the text is concerned. I think children at the age of 9-12 definitely need a more clear distinction between good and bad, right and wrong, than the one provided by Nina Bawden. The author’s message is not clear to me at all, so I wonder what children would make of it.

I assume one of Bawden’s intentions was to discourage children from telling lies and hiding the truth. As aunt Sarah used to say 'what a tangled web we weave when once we practise to deceive…' Apparently, I think the author got tangled in this sticky web herself: both parents in this novel deceived in a way too. Speaking of parents, the explanation of father’s decision, which changed the lives of the whole family and affected their economic status dramatically, sounds a bit absurd to me.

I’m really trying hard to understand why the author decided to end the story in such a cruel way. Maybe the novel was based on real memories, which is quite possible as the book was dedicated to her grandmother, and she wanted to be accurate at all costs?

The ending of 'The Peppermint Pig' felt as if the author slapped me in the face. Literally.

I don't expect good endings at any price but the awfulness of Nina Bawden’s version lies not only in what happened but also in the hidden message behind it: basically, you can’t really trust the adults you love. In my opinion nothing can excuse mother and aunts' decision, albeit the author tries hard, emphasizing its financial aspect.


Ferdinand Puigaudeau, 'Chinese Shadows, The Rabbit', 1895. [Image source]

I did my best to figure out what this ending is supposed to teach children and the only answer I have is 'don’t trust the people you love as they might do something traumatic to you, behind your back'. Would you like to learn something like that at the age of ten?

I felt astounded when I found out that 'The Peppermint Pig' was written in 1975. I thought it was a book from the beginning of the twentieth century. The lack of author’s empathy would be easier to swallow then. I understand that ‘The Peppermint Pig’ portrays the past, the end of 19th century to be exact, when the model of parenting, the role of children in family and mentality were quite different but do you think it’s rational to expect a historiosophical distance from a ten year old?

The thing, that shocked me most, was the lack of respect for child’s feelings, demonstrated especially by one of the aunts who was a teacher (!), a headmistress to be exact. The thing she does to explain the reason of the tragedy to Pol is horrifying and no wonder the girl faints as a result.

I really don’t want my musings on ‘The Peppermint Pig’ to sound like a gloomy and definite verdict discouraging you from reading this novel. As I’ve already said, there were things masterly done in it. For example the wistful atmosphere, the bitterish sense of humour and psychological portrayals of the family, especially the kids.

I wonder what my reaction to this novel would be if I read it as a child. I was notorious at our school library for having read all books about animals available there, so I would have probably got hold of it sooner or later, but it hadn't been translated into Polish. Frankly speaking, I don't regret it. Brothers Grimm's version of 'Cinderella' with cut toes, bleeding afterwards, made me slightly sick, so granny's finger might have been the final straw.

I wholeheartedly agree with those who believe that you must write for children the same way you write for adults, only better. To my mind, beside of literary high quality, though, empathy and respect for young reader’s emotions and sensitivity are essential.


Hans Thoma, 'Kinderreigen', 1872. [Image source]

[Cheryl A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really so much about the pig as about the year the children learned who their family is, and who they are, and what their place in the world might be. Even though it takes place over a century ago, it's not really historical fiction, as the world's context isn't relevant. It's actually easy to read as something that may have happened to ppl just one generation ago.

It's easy to read as just a story, but a careful reading reveals a poignant, odd, magical book, with depth. Though Sonya Hartnett is darker, I believe it likely she was influenced by Bawden; they give me a similar feeling of satisfaction, admiration, and even an odd kind of fierce joy. I will absolutely look for more by Bawden.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could write about this book all day. Who knew this would be such an intriguing book? The cover didn’t lead me to think this. The title didn’t lead me to think this. But I knew from page one that this was a special book.

It’s a little story of a family that is set around the turn of the century. The father has to leave his job abruptly and decides to pursue a new career in America. The mother and four children are left in England, staying with two elderly aunts, while the father gets settled.

There’s lots in this little story...a ghost story...a friendship with an impoverished child...a long sickness...and, of course, a pig.

[Mathew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bawden would go on to win the much-missed Guardian's Children's Fiction Prize with this book back in 1975. Set within the Edwardian period, it is a historical novel that tells of the fall of a moderately well-to-do London family and their rehoming in a rural market town in Norfolk. With father choosing to go to America in order to win his fortune, Poll, her mother and her siblings move in with their aunts, returning to their parents' childhood home.
For a shilling, they buy a peppermint pig, the runt of the litter and rear it with love. Soon it becomes a minor celebrity in the town and all the while Poll learns much about life, love, death and the future. Wonderful writing from a deeply underrated author. It's all in the details.

[Kizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember my mum reading this to me when I was about 8. I absolutely loved it but it made me cry! I definitely recommend it x

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle grade March

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was the tiniest pig she had ever seen. She touched its hard little head and said, ‘What’s a peppermint pig?’
‘Not worth much,’ Mother said. ‘Only a token. Like a peppercorn rent. Almost nothing.’ — Chapter 4.

We’re in the dying years of the Victorian era; Poll is the youngest of four children in the Greengrass family, with a father who paints coats of arms on carriages for a London firm. The family is fairly well off, enough to at least have a maid, and they seem set to continue comfortably for some time – until Mr Greengrass comes home with news for his wife which Poll overhears.

Although she doesn’t quite understand the whys and wherefores, she only knows that everything is about to change for the family, and that it’ll entail leaving the only home she’s known.

Off she goes with her mother and her three older siblings – George, Lily, and Theo – from the capital to a town, not too dissimilar to Swaffham, near Norwich in Norfolk while her father travels to America to team up with whatever enterprise their uncle is engaged in. Their parents may have connections with the town but the children have to cope with new surroundings and straitened circumstances. What difference will a peppermint pig make?

As a youngster I read in a Reader’s Digest children’s compilation an item about the runt of a pig litter which became a family pet and even had a pink ribbon tied around its neck by one of the daughters. A bit of internet sleuthing revealed this was a chapter called ‘Little Runt’ in a 1936 memoir by Della Thompson Lutes called The Country Kitchen. It turned out that such runts becoming beloved pets was a motif that found its way into much literature, from Charlotte’s Web to The Sheep-Pig and beyond.

Inevitably the time would come for the family pet to pay its way in a fashion that would chiefly distress the youngest child, often a girl. And so it’ll prove with Poll and piglet Johnnie, but despite expectations this isn’t the main focus of Bawden’s narrative: it’s how Poll will cope with the double blow of moving from a comfortable urban home to being beholden to others in a rural cottage, and of losing a father whom she dearly loves but fears for.

Bawden brings to life Poll’s experiences around the time that the Edwardian age was being ushered in, and she does it so vividly that it feels as if it has the ring of truth. And so it does: her memoir In My Own Time: Almost an Autobiography makes clear that The Peppermint Pig is largely based on her mother’s childhood in Swaffham, drawn from her mother’s and maternal grandmother’s memories, and further filtered through her own imagination and creativity.

For this is no simple factual account; Bawden invests Poll’s story with the innocence that being the youngest sibling often brings, and evokes the conflicting emotions that come from not always being entrusted with the truth of a situation, such that one has to concoct explanations that don’t reflect reality. Bawden also involves us in the characters that Poll encounters – her father’s formidable sisters in particular but also friends and frenemies at the local school, shopkeepers and local worthies, and Poll’s sister and brothers with their personal foibles.

And then there’s the pig, Johnnie, a character in his own right but delightfully uncomplicated, in whom Poll entrusts her love because he returns it without disloyalty or rancour. What, though, will happen to her unwavering affection when Johnnie finally outgrows his welcome in the Greengrass home? Be warned, Bawden’s novel is capable of packing a final emotional punch similar to that which Edith Nesbit’s The Railway Children offered in 1905.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read that presented the largely ordinary goings-on for a family forced to relocate to Norfolk, England about 1900. With their father seeking his fortune in America, they live with their mother's sisters and we learn a lot about family history (sometimes things that have been intentionally hidden over the years). The personalities and behavior of the children ring true and have appeal to modern readers. The story is mostly about Polly, the youngest of four children. The piglet that joins the family isn't actually the focus, but it does provide some interesting episodes.

While there are a lot of books written about this time, this one stands out as being more than just a generic look back at the curiosities of the old days. It's humorous with some twists that hold the reader's interest. I especially liked the bits where family lore and the mother's past (which it seems to be something she had hoped to have moved on from) are introduced to the children.

The end is lovely and doesn't wrap up everything nicely, but leaves them as they start a new chapter in their lives.

The illustrations in my copy don't really fit the period well in my opinion, looking too 1970s in style.

At first look, the 1977 BBC-TV version also seems good. It reminds me of the two Jenny Agutter versions of The Railway Children, and, now that I think of it, that book has some things in common with this one - the missing father, the relocated family.

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Peppermint Pig was one of my favourites as a little girl, I think maybe because it is quite different and I loved the dark violence towards the end. As a little girl I found books that left you with a slightly bitter taste fascinating.
I re-read it a few years ago and loved it still but this time for Nina Bawden's writing and storytelling genius. Its comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. I just love her.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first time I read the book I left it in a Solvang motel and had to use my allowance to call the motel and arrange for shipping. I've never made that mistake again.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning, you'll need your hankies for the ending. Loved this as much, reading it to my nine year old, as I did when I was a child. Reminds me of The Railway Children, but with pigs instead of trains ;)

[Julia Burford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very very different from what I was expecting, and not as lighthearted, but well written and a good story

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book before going to bed and it was a quick read and a nice historical fiction book. Poll's father leaves for the Americas and while he is away the family gets a pig named Johnnie. Money is tight but time passes with Johnnie's company. I enjoyed the imagery and the ending too. It is almost enough to make you want to go vegetarian in empathy for Poll.

I have just read some of the other reviews and I did not know that this book was intended to be a children's book. It is a bit rough at the ending for a kid but then again, it is from a different era. Either way, the writing is excellent.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poignant and heartbreaking for all its gritty humour. Its ending, in particular, drives home the devastating sensation one has when realising that one has irretrievably lost something- and one who ought to have known and sympathised has, and can have, no idea. Johnnie (the eponymous pig in question) will capture your heart and live on in your mind long after the story closes. A beautiful reflection on childhood and- on second reading- a mother's attempts to shield her children by their innocence.

[Amber Scaife · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young girl, along with her mother and her brothers and sister, must move out of their nice London home and back to the countryside whence their parents came, while their father goes off to America to seek a new fortune. The story follows the family, through the eyes of 9-year-old Poll, for a year in the life as they adjust to their new circumstances and surroundings. There's also a pig involved.

A comfortable read, with lots of lovely details of rural Norfolk at the turn of the century, but it ended too abrupt and pat for me, I think.

[Jessica]

I can't bring myself to give this book a rating. The majority of it is sweet and cute and lovely, but the ending is so cruel and I'm so angry and devastated about it that it has ruined my overall enjoyment of the book. I want to give it 1 star based on how I feel about the ending, but that wouldn't be fair to the rest of the book, so I'm leaving it unrated.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revisiting my childhood with this book that I first read 30 years ago, a bittersweet tale of life in the early 1900s when money was scarce. Told through the eyes of a 9 year old it makes you glad we have a welfare state now.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a really enchanting book.I liked Johnny the pig and the whole Greengrass family.

[Angela Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ideal children's read. I did enjoy it as it is nicely written.

[Dannielle Potts · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Lovely Children's Book Which Made Me Cry. Not Sure If Is Let Me Daughter Read It As She's Very Sensitive And Such An Animal Lover. Beautifully Written

[gloria .☆ﾟ.]

i read this in primary and it traumatised me. heartbreak was real

[Gagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an experience that I'll never forget.

[Ria · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a book to introduce children into the harsh world of butchery this is a great book, as a read I hated it.
Whole novel centred on a girl called Poll and her family moving to the country and basically raising for a year what Poll thought was a pet pig ending with her mother trotting him off to slaughter behind Poll's back!
End of novel.
HATED it and totally put me off the author's writing.

[Little Miss Netty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author does not sugar-coat the lives of the children in her stories nor are the stories saccharine.

"As a child, Nina said, she had felt wicked because the children in the books she read were all so good, and she was one of the first writers for children to create characters who could be jealous, selfish and bad-tempered. Her young readers responded with grateful letters." - Nina Bawden obituary, The Guardian

I think children are often shielded from life's turmoils and challenges in literature and this could possibly lead to overly sensitive children who struggle to cope with reality later on. Nina Bawden exposes the younger reader to a range of emotions, feelings and experiences and this makes for a more well-rounded young adult. Life, for most of us, is very unlike an Enid Blyton picnic by the sea, although it is nice to escape into those stories from time to time! It's all about balance and offering different perspectives.

[Mary Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Peppermint Pigg

This was a cold read - I thrifed it based on the cover so I had no idea what to expect. It’s an intriguing story with relatable characters. There is sadness and darkness throughout, but never without a glimmer of hope. I'll include a summary since I struggled to find out much about it online.

There was some language including a few times the kids scream things like, “d**n you to h**l” so that will keep me from being able to recommend it to young readers. (Plus one instance of the word bi**h in reference to an actual dog.)

There are also some gruesome details, granny's finger getting chopped off, biting off puppy tails, etc. Not for sensitive readers, I guess!

The importance of good character is a strong theme. Their father would rather be away from them than spoil his example, "It would be terrible for them to have a father they couldn't look up to. One who had done something he believed to be wrong." Aunt Sarah especially prizes good character above all else.

The family dynamics are really the most meaningful highlights of the book. They all try to take care of each other in their own flawed ways. Each character has failings and strengths. Much of the conflict in the story comes from Poll’s fear of the future and how she has convinced herself that the worst things she can imagine are inevitable.

By the end, the longest year of her life is over and all the worst things she imagined did not happen. Perhaps there is more hope in the future than Poll ever dreamed.

Overall, I found it a good, thought provoking read, but may not be one I will hand to my kids just yet.

Summary:

It’s 1890-ish and Poll and her family are forced to move from London to live with her two spinster aunts. Her father has lost his job and reputation after taking the fall for the boss’s son’s theft. He sets off for America to make his fortune leaving his family behind. Poll is the youngest of four. Theo is a sickly boy who shares his mother‘s love for gruesome storytelling. The two older siblings, George and Lily, are doing their best to be grown-ups. Aunt Sarah and Aunt Harriet are about as different as two sisters can be but both are equally committed to their family that suddenly needs them.

When the pond freezes over the kids all go out skating. Noah and his friends begin teasing Theo for being so small. Poll attacks him and once he pins her to the ice, she shouts out, “Da** you and blast you to hell” and spits in his face. (P. 61) Aunt Sarah breaks up the fight and announces that Poll has inherited Aunt Harriet‘s temper!

Poll is immediately enamored by the new baby “peppermint pig” gifted to them by the milkman (the runt of the litter, and practically worthless) and it greatly improves her behavior at school: “she had no time left to be naughty; by the end of the first week, she had not once been rapped over the knuckles or stood in the corner.”

Theo struggles with fitting in and the little pig makes life more bearable for him as well: “Even Theo was happier because of the pig. The excitement of its arrival carried him through the first day and… it was a comfort to run home and pick up the pig and whisper in his floppy ear, "Pepper-mint pig, peppermint pig, I'm a peppermint boy, so there's two of us, runts in this family."(p. 73)

Mother says pigs are a poor person‘s investment, but refuses to explain what she means to Poll which is one of several obvious bits of foreshadowing.

Father‘s letters from America are not promising so mother says if he isn’t going to make their fortune anytime soon she’d better do something about it and begins an in-home sewing business. Mother is a beautiful example of selflessness and empathy. She is offered a job but realizes that Mr. Mullins wants her to replace her old childhood friend, Merigold. Mother turns down the job, even though Marigold is unlikable and difficult, she can’t take away the job that is so desperately needed, saying "Remember, Lily, that's the worst thing about poverty! Not hunger or leaky boots, but the way it drains out your spirit! However things turn out, you must never let that happen to you. Promise me!"

Theo steals an egg from the market and is seen by the local bully Noah. He works out a secret deal to keep him from telling aunt Sarah who they are dependent on for their livelihood.

Poll then loses her temper when she feels the pig is being treated unfairly and yells that mother is cruel and that she hates her: “She meant it. Hatred swelled inside her like a balloon, as if it might burst her chest open. She wished she could go right away and never see or speak to her mother ever again. Dad had gone, hadn't he? Now she saw why! He couldn't bear to stay with such a mean, spiteful person.”

In her fit of temper, she runs off to visit Annie, her poor friend from school. While there, she plays with a sickly baby and learns that Annie’s family never names their pigs because they get slaughtered every fall anyway. On the way home she gets a fright after getting lost and thinking she hears a ghost carriage. When she returns home to scolding instead of pity, she shouts “da** you…” at her mother and Aunt Harriet. Poll catches scarlet fever from the sickly baby and nearly dies. When she finally recovers, she finds that both Theo and the pig have grown.

Theo tells tall tales of his father’s troubles to Noah, enhancing them and “paying blackmail” so that Noah doesn’t tell their dark secret to the town. Theo never realized it but Noah knew it was made up all along and never wanted to fight to begin with. After the fight Poll has a revelation that underscores her fear and negative view of the future: “Theo had said she would understand what he'd done when she was older, but she understood now and better than he did! Theo was clever but he wasn't sensible the way ordinary people were. He saw things differently and this set him apart. Poll thought, Theo will always be lonely, and it made her feel proud and sad to know this, and very responsible. It was as if someone, a teacher or a clergyman or Aunt Sarah, had suddenly said to her, "Your brother will have a hard time all his life. You will have to look after him." She would have to do that, now she'd been asked, however angry she might sometimes get with him.”

Aunt Harriet drags Poll off one day to visit a friend and brings home a new puppy. Poll somehow knows it’s too good to be true and, sure enough, when she comes home from school the next day, the pig is gone. Somehow, she is both shocked and not surprised at the same time. George is unhappy with mother for not warning Poll ahead of time.

She’s so heartbroken over the pig that she stops eating for weeks. Finally, her brother George motivates her by paying her pennies for every item she eats so that she can buy a collar and leash for the new puppy

What seems to be a homeless stranger shows up in their garden and Poll discovers it’s her wandering grandfather. Now she begins to fear with near certainty that father will never come home because as she heard Mrs. Bugg say, “blood will out.“ even aunt Harriet has said, “some people are footloose.“

Poll’s view of the future begins to terrify her, but she receives good advice from Aunt Sarah whose words prove true, as father soon arrives home. We are left with a stunning, abrupt ending when we realize all these imagined troubles of the future will not happen. The longest year of her life is over and all the worst things she imagined did not happen. Perhaps there is more hope in the future than Poll ever dreamed.

[Tamsin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this as a child and so many lines have remained with me. It is an intriguing tale of love and loss. Interesting that there was a King’s coronation.

[Auntie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Puffin publication and therefore for younger readers. Won the Guardian prize. Probably from my Red House collection?

Johnnie, the pig, doesn't appear for the first thirf of the book and then makes sporadic appearances thereafter. This is really the story of the year the Greengrass family moved to rheir aunts in Norfolk while their father went to the US - for adventure or to make his fortune is not clear. It focuses on Poll, the youngest of the 4 siblings and while not told in first person narrative it is her thoughts and actions that predominate.

I was surprised to read a review saying this reminded them of the Railway Children - that was when I thought this was a book about a pig. I can see there are similarities. The story of a family, who without their father, have to move from their comfortable home, complete with maid, and are thereafter struggling to make ends meet. Though they do live with Poll's aunt Sarah and Harriet so presumably rent is not an issue. There's Poll's school friend Annie who is shown to be poor by comparison.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one to read to your vegetarian kids these days.

I picked this book up as I thought I liked it as a child but I now don't think I read it but may have seen a sanatized version on tv.

Set in the 1900s it tells the story of one families life when they are thrust into poverty when the man of the house ups and leaves for a year.. Although very interesting for adults to read as a short window into life at the turn of 19th 20th century I wouldn't necessarily recommend reading it to kids at bedtime today as it portrays some very problematic views of the time particularly in regards to, animal welfare, the role of women and disability. But this 40 something enjoyed being a kid while reading it as she knows context is everything.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Father loses his job, and while he seeks his fortune in the States, the family move from fashionable London to a tiny Norfolk town. Poll (aged 9-10) is the one of the four children we hear most from and a wonderfully assertive, yet well-intentioned person she is too. I won't say anything about the beloved pig - read for yourselves. I'd say this is a most enjoyable and worthwhile read for all aged 10 upwards. This is Nina Bawden at her best.

[Willen P · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I liked the writing style, I didn't enjoy the story that much. Perhaps I was deceived into thinking that this book would revolve around a pig that everyone marvelled at.

I didn't really think much was happening; it was just centred about life through Poll's eyes, the pig being a side character at most. I don't think I'd have enjoyed this as a child either.

I give it a 2 stars solely for the plot. The writing style was good. I cannot say much else about this in whole.