The Princess and the Pig

By; Jonathan Emmett 

Illustrated by Poly Bernatene

copyright 2011





A poor farmer and his little piglet are passing by the castle one fateful day when a mishap causes the piglet to swap places with the new born princess.   Due to the mix-up, the pig was raised as a princess and the princess was raised as a peasant.  Many years later when the farmer figures out what must have happened, he and his wife attempt to right the wrong and return their beloved daughter to the palace.
Their attempt is rejected as the King and Queen who think the story is foolish accuse the farmer of trickery. The three return to their life on the farm and "live happily ever after".  Although the ending is not as enchanted for the pig.

The book stands out as a fun play on the traditional fairy tale.  In fact, many references are made in the book to other fairy tales. The characters in the story are always comparing their situation to "the sort of things that happens all the time in books" while pointing to the tale they are referring to.  This would be a great addition to a fairy tale unit as students will be naturally curious to read the story mentioned by each character.  

This book was funny and cleverly written.  It would appeal to all ages because of its depth.  This book can be read for pure enjoyment or the reader can dig deeper into the different fairly tales and/or contemplate the struggle the farmer faces in deciding to tell the King what he has discovered.