About this title: This autobiographical novel which evokes scenes of by-gone times is about the author, just turning 13, living on a farm in Vermont. The young protagonist struggles with the loss of both his father and his favorite pig, forcing him to become a man before his time in this gentle, moving, and poignant book.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9780679853060ISBN:0679853065
Description: Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Different cover than pictured. Book is pristine. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 160 p. Audience: Children/juvenile. read more
Description: Very Good. 0679853065 Great condition paperback book, clean pages, mild creases to spine, some edge/corner rubs, this book is GREAT! Shop & Save With US. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Laurel Leaf, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1990
ISBN-13:9780440920830ISBN:0440920833
Description: Good. 0440920833 Mass market paperback, previously read used book in good condition, varying degrees of shelf wear, some spine creases, m..._ read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Random House, New York
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9780679853060ISBN:0679853065
Description: Very Good. No Jacket. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. Very good clean flat paperback with only very light overall wear. some very light rubbing on covers. pages clean and unmarked. read more
"My oldest son, James, had to read this book in middle school. A few years later, I decided to pick it up to read. Interesting story about farming and the plainspoken "Shaker" world. I am presuming this is a true story since the author's name is the same.
Pretty graphic parts in the book, but I guess that's all in a farming family's life. It starts off with the main character, Rob Peck, a 11 year old boy, helping his neighbor's cow give birth (with lots of gross detail) at the start of the story (maybe this should had been a sign for me to stop reading). It was really ugly and "sick" when the neighbor decided to put his dog and and the weasel into a barrel where they both suffered and died (at least father and son realized just how awful that was and it was their first and last time). And if this wasn't enough, poor Pinky, Rob's pet pig, and the ordeal it went through with Samson, the neighbor's boar incident - yikes! It sadden me when Rob's father dies even though we knew it was going to happen.
If this 40 something adult is quite shocked at the events in this story, how does it affect Rob seeing it first hand, not to mention middle school kids reading it in school? But maybe like most adults, we make too much of it, as I do remember feeling differently about things when I was younger.
Robert Newton Peck's second book is "A Part of the Sky", if I come across in, I'll no doubt read it."
"Until I read this book, I had thought it was about some 1950 or 1960 youth gang's confrontration with the police. I had always heard the title and that is just what I managed to conjure up in my mind. Sooooo, I was a little surprised to learn it was about young Shaker boy. But I wasn't disappointed - NOT AT ALL. I couldn't stop reading and I plan on giving this book to several people I know. Yes, it's a young adult coming-of-age story, but it's one of those that's often best appreciated by adults. The opening scene of the birthing cow is exciting and amazing. The characters are strong and genuine. I am so glad I finally took the time to read this one."
"I picked up A Day No Pigs Would Die from our old bookshelf in the basement last weekend when I went home. I couldn't remember hearing anything about it, and had no idea if it was worth reading, but the tattered cover and faded pages seemed to whisper that I try it out. I'm so glad I did. The book follows a young 12-year-old boy named Robert who is growing up on a rural farm in Vermont. A Day No Pigs Would Die is one of those books you experience, not just read. It left me changed in a quiet subtle way. As the Boston Globe wrote, "A lovely book....honest, moving, homely in a warm and simple sense of the word....It isn't trying to move mountains and it has no quarrel with life..." This book truly is simple. It doesn't try to teach any earth-shattering themes, but still I found myself laughing so hard I couldn't breath one minute, and wiping a steady stream of tears away at the end of the book. It simply captures the essence of growing up, learning to take responsibility, and facing the hard facts of life. It is a real, down to earth, and beautifully written book. I fell in love with the funny metaphors they use in this book such as "true as a taproot," "simple as beans," and "big as August." Even though some of them didn't make sense, this would be a great book to use to teach metaphors and similes and to talk about which ones are effective and which are not. This would be a great book to use during a unit about different dialects or vernacular language. There is so much bad grammar in this book, but it is what makes the book so endearing. I read this book with a dear friend on a road trip last week and we read most of it aloud in an accent suggested by the written language. It was absolutely delightful. It reminded me of the importance of reading aloud, as Mem Fox suggests in her book Radical Reflections. It made the characters and setting spring to life and gave them such a richer context. This would be a wonderful book to read aloud bit by bit to a classroom. It does have a couple swear words in it and talks quite frankly about animals being mated, but I think it would still be appropriate for a classroom setting. I think boys or girls would love this book, and probably any age level. I think this is simple enough that a middle schooler could enjoy it, but still capturing enough that a high schooler would enjoy it too. The only issue with the middle school age is that some of the vernacular language might be difficult for them to get through and understand. This was a beautiful, touching book I would definitely recommend."
"This is a short and easy read that will definitely make you think. I LOVE the short and simple pearls of wisdom the boy's father gives him as he teaches him to become a man. Not overbearing advice, just little snippets if a person is smart enough to be paying attention. It kind of reminds me of my own mother's snippets of advice throughout my life. My favorites: "Never miss a chance to keep your mouth shut."(p. 87); "One chore done good beats two done ragged." (p. 110); "Need is a weak word. Has nothing to do with what people get. Ain't what you need that matters. It's what you do." (p. 113)
I felt like I grew a little after reading this story. There were hard parts to read dealing with the animals on the farm. I could have done without those, and yet, without them, I would have missed a huge part of what farm life and Rob's journey to becoming a man was all about. As Rob's father said, "That's what being a man is all about, boy. It's just doing what's got to be done." (p. 129) And poor Rob certainly had to become a man way too young. Good thing he had a wonderful father to teach him."
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