Sweet, sincere, and lovely.
I read many children's books in my search for a lovely story from which to write an essay for my children's literature course. After shuffling through dozens of so called "wonderful" children's books, I found this amazing little story.
I can't imagine anyone declaring this book "depressing" in any way. It deals with the adult theme of depression, but does so in such a way that it is truly uplifting and hopeful. Besides, that isn't even the main theme, the main theme here is family togetherness, and do whatever one must to help out the ones they love. With classically beautiful artwork and solid storytelling, this is going straight into my personal library...regardless of the fact that I'm well beyond the target age group for this lovely little book.
Radiant, lyrical look at the world
The Pig of the Pig -- offspring of a sailing pig that could smell a storm coming. The Water Gift -- a few rare people are given the gift of detecting water with a divining rod and a respect for the earth. These are two of the fascinating elements in this wonderful book, along with a young heroine who is an optimistic explorer. When her grandfather listens to one too many crabby neighbors and loses faith in himself--and the Pig of the Pig wanders away, it is Isabel who figures out what to do to set things right. A perfect combination of story and illustrations -- a lovely book.
Just announced
This book has just won the 2003 Maine Lupine Award. The annual award was named in honor of Barbara Cooney's "Miss Rumphius".
Uplifting!
"The Water Gift and the Pig of the Pig" is hardly what I would call a depressing picture book! Yet the previous reviewer used the word no less than five times in her appraisal of this magical, uplifting story by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. Far from depressing, "The Water Gift" conveys a positive message of hope and determination. When Grandfather's beloved pet Pig goes missing so does his "gift" for dowsing. "Dowsing" is the ancient folk art of locating underground water (and other hidden things) through the use of a forked stick or divining rods.Desperate to both restore Grandfather's faith in himself and to find the missing Pig before a nasty neighbor does, shy Isobel takes up her own sticks to see if she, too, has "the gift." As for how Isobel overcomes the many fears and doubts she faces and whether or not she reunites Grandfather and Pig I leave that to you, the reader, to discover for yourself.
Linda Wingerter's jewel-like paintings perfectly compliment Martin's literate and poetic prose. This book is a future classic waiting to be discovered.
OUTSTANDING
This is one of the most beautiful books I have come across in recent past. The illustrations are elegant and understated, and the story has a quiet delicate rhythm that guides you gently through this tale. I highly recommend it for adults and children alike.
(6 reviews)
