The Pig War

October 1, 2020
"This is a true tale about two mighty nations, an ill-fated pig, and a most unusual war. It is also a story about sharing." That opening, in black, sans-serif lettering, is followed by further text that's broken up by red-inked headings for date, setting, characters, and mood. Continuing a jaunty, lighthearted tone that proceeds throughout the text, it informs readers that the mood is "About to change, for the worse." The verso sports an antique-looking map of the Western Hemisphere with a detail of San Juan--a Pacific Northwest coast island of, in 1859, ambiguous provenance inhabited both by British employees of the Hudson's Bay Company and a few American settlers. (The original, Indigenous residents are relegated to a parenthetical mention in the author's note and figure not at all in the story.) As the story begins, an American named Lyman Cutlar angrily kills Brit Charles Griffin's pig as it eats from Cutlar's potato patch. Cutlar apologizes and offers to pay for the pig but then refuses to pay Griffin's exorbitant asking price. Enter authorities from both nations in an escalation that eventually involves scores of warships. When war seems inevitable, Gen. Winfield Scott is sent by President James Buchanan to mediate. The text is true to its introduction, and it also pursues the idea that hotheadedness leads to disastrous consequences. Vocabulary, verbosity, and content suit this for older elementary, independent readers. The storytelling goes a bit flat at the end, when Cutlar is mentioned but not Griffin. Colorful, stylized art against apparently distressed surfaces is an impeccable complement. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 42.6% of actual size.) Weirdly fascinating. (photographs, timeline, resources, artist's note) (Informational picture book. 7-9)

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November 1, 2020

Gr 2-5-This true story takes place in 1859 in San Juan, an island located off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. An argument over a single pig pitted neighbor against neighbor and set into motion a series of events that led to a military standoff between England and America. Smith's narrative dives into a strange and humorous slice of history that nearly started another war between the two countries. American settler Lyman Cutlar was annoyed to find a pig in his potato patch. Cutlar killed the pig, which belonged to Charles Griffin, who was British. Cutlar offered to pay for the pig, but Griffin wanted more money than Cutlar was willing to pay. Their argument eventually resulted in the deployment of both the Queen's military and American battleships. This porcine altercation is detailed with lofty humor that makes for an intriguing and endearing read, though some older elementary readers may find the story's moralistic conclusion condescending. Jay's distinctive illustrations, rendered in alkyd paint with crackle glaze varnish, lend an old-timey feel and playful whimsy that matches the tone of the text. The book centers the perspective of white colonizers and early America, and the text only mentions stolen Native land as an afterthought in the back matter. The author's note states, "Various countries had claimed ownership of this area over the centuries (stubbornly ignoring the fact that the indigenous Coast Salish and Northwest Coast peoples had lived there much longer)." VERDICT The book's humor and whimsy provide an interesting narrative nonfiction read for elementary classrooms, but the niche subject and erasure of Native history make it suitable only for additional purchase.-Allison Staley, Lake Oswego P.L., OR

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Starred review from November 1, 2020
Grades 2-4 *Starred Review* The trouble started in 1859, when an American settler on the disputed Northwest coastal island of San Juan shot a pig he found in his garden. Unfortunately, the pig "was British. Or at least its owner was." So with hot-headed local residents and saber-rattling military officers on both sides, the Pig Incident became a Pig Argument that escalated into a Pig Situation--a tense armed standoff that could very easily have touched off a real war. Fortunately, veteran negotiator Winfield Scott arrived four months later to talk everyone down and to work out a compromise that left the pig the only (mentioned) casualty. Jay's crackled, primitivist illustrations of cannons and distant figures in antique dress and uniforms add a proper sense of period to Smith's brisk account of the historical episode, which the author presents as a timely case study in how countries with differences can find peaceable alternatives to armed conflict. She also highlights the significance of a later decision to let the German Kaiser, as an uninterested third party, settle San Juan's ownership dispute. Along with adding period photos, many further details, and a substantial resource list, a lengthy afterword includes a necessary, if inadequate and rather late, nod to the area's Coast Salish and other indigenous inhabitants.

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