Esther the Wonder Pig: Changing the World One Heart at a Time

by Steve Jenkins, Derek Walter

Overview

Unlikely pig owners Steve and Derek got a whole lot more than they bargained for when the designer micro piglet they adopted turned out to be a full-sized 600-pound sow! This funny, inspirational story shows how families really do come in all shapes and sizes.

In the summer of 2012, Steve Jenkins was contacted by an old friend about adopting a micro piglet. Though he knew his partner Derek wouldn't be enthusiastic, he agreed to take the adorable little pig anyway, thinking he could care for her himself. Little did he know, that decision would change his and Derek's lives forever.

It turned out there was nothing "micro" about Esther, and Steve and Derek had actually signed on to raise a full-sized commercial pig. Within three years, Tiny Esther grew to a whopping 600 pounds. After some real growing pains and a lot of pig-sized messes, it became clear that Esther needed much more space, so Steve and Derek made another life-changing decision: they bought a farm and opened the Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary, where they could care for Esther and other animals in need.

Funny, heartwarming, and utterly charming, Esther the Wonder Pig follows Steve and Derek's adventure—from reluctant pig parents to farm-owning advocates for animals.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
AMAZON BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781455560790
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	05/30/2017
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	529,096
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

In just two short years, Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter have cemented a place for themselves among the worlds most well-known and successful animal activists, accumulating hundreds of thousands of followers from all over the world. In 2014, Steve and Derek founded the Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary in Campbellville, Ontario, where they continue to rescue and rehabilitate abandoned and abused farmed animals.

Caprice Crane is an award-winning, internationally bestselling, five-time novelist, screenwriter, and television writer, and has the distinction of being one of Huffington Post's "50 Funny People You Should Be Following on Twitter." Her debut novel Stupid and Contagious (published in fourteen countries), and her international bestselling Forget About It won the RT Reviews Choice Award in 2006 and 2007 consecutively. She has since published three more novels to critical acclaim.

Editorial Reviews

"Funny, moving, and heartwarming. The greatest love story ever told between two men and their pig. "—Ricky Gervais

"Told with self-effacing humor and a sense of wonder at what life can bring, ESTHER is the story of the transformative power of love between people and animals and how the decision to try to make a difference on a personal level can effect positive change far beyond anything that might have been imagined."—Larry Levin, New York Times bestselling author of Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love

"First, Jenkins and Walter opened their hearts to one very special pig, and now they are opening their doors and letting us in, too. ESTHER THE WONDER PIG is a tender, funny story that manages to sneak up behind you when you're least expecting it and change your life. Be prepared to fall in love-with a pig."—Jasmin Singer, author of Always Too Much and Never Enough: A Memoir and co-host of Our Hen House

"Steve and Derek show us what we already know at Mercy for Animals-that farmed animals are just as deserving of love and respect as the dogs and cats we share our home with-or, in their case, the pig they share their home with."—Nathan Runkle, founder & president, Mercy for Animals

"An inspirational, enjoyable read, especially for animal lovers."—Booklist

"Written in a sincere, touching, and often quite funny voice, ESTHER THE WONDER PIG is a balm to the soul . . .So far, definitely my favorite read of 2016."—Have Cake, Will Travel

"Funny, entertaining, enlightening, and touching, this book about an unknowingly influential little piggy is a good read that also provides an education on the intelligence of pigs and their capacity for giving and receiving affection."—Publishers Weekly (STARRED REVIEW)

"There's joy and humor on every page."—VeganOutreach.org

From the Publisher

★ 06/27/2016
Life partners Jenkins and Walter (assisted by novelist Crane) embark on a heartwarming journey when Jenkins eagerly agrees to adopt a miniature piglet in need of a home. Walter, who resisted the adorable little pig at first, quickly becomes "head over heels for pig, of all things, experiencing all the firsts you have with a new pet." When they notice that Esther is gaining weight and growing at an alarming rate, their greatest fears are confirmed: Esther is a commercial pig, coming in at around 600 pounds upon full adulthood. What follows is a comedy of errors involving house training, broken furniture, ear-splitting squeals, and two men who simply cannot give up their beloved pet pig no matter what. When Walter and Jenkins realize that there are other homeless "Esthers," their beloved pig leads them to a life-changing decision that also saves the lives of numerous abandoned animals. Funny, entertaining, enlightening, and touching, this book about an unknowingly influential little piggy is a good read that also provides an education on the intelligence of pigs and their capacity for giving and receiving affection. Agent: Erica Silverman, Trident Media Group. (June)

Publishers Weekly

04/01/2016
When realtor Jenkins answers an email from an old school friend about a pig, he has no idea how much life is going to change for him and his magician partner Derek Walter. Esther was supposed to be a minipig. Jenkins was told she would grow to be about 70 pounds and that she had been spayed because females can get aggressive when they go into heat. Unfortunately, his friend had misled the author. This heartwarming story about owning a 600-pound pig, becoming vegan, and opening a farm animal rescue retreat in the country takes readers through Jenkins agreeing to adopt the tiny piglet, without talking to Walter, documenting all of Esther's escapades and illnesses, to finally transporting her to her new pasture and making her an Internet sensation. The authors describe the hazards of raising a pig in a 1,000-square-foot space already occupied by cats and dogs, Esther-proofing the house so she didn't help herself to the contents of the kitchen, bolting her water bowl to the wall, and, of course, housebreaking a pig (no easy task). VERDICT A fun read with an important message about animal cruelty.—Lisa Ennis, Alabama Coll. of Osteopathic Medicine, Dothan

Library Journal