The Water Gift and the Pig of the Pig By: Jacqueline Briggs Martin

I really enjoyed reading "The Water Gift and the Pig of the Pig" by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. The story starts off as a simple tale regarding a little girl's grandfather and his favorite pig. The grandfather describes the intimate relationship he has with his pig and refers to him as the Pig That Went Around Cape Horn. While his pig has passed on they have "the last pig of her last litter- the Pig of the Pig That Went Around Cape Horn". His granddaughter goes on to describe a similar relationship that she has with the Pig of the Pig. She also experiences the same adventures as her grandfather "The Captain", through the use of her imagination and the relationship with her Pig. This book demonstrates hardship and the steps that the characters take to overcome these struggles. The importance of family, tradition, and faith is expressed through Jacqueline's relationships between her characters, and the conquests they conquer together. The language of this picture book is very original and seems to resemble similarities to poetry. The sentences seem to flow off of the pages and transition beautifully between one to the next. Also the images in this book are very intriguing and seem to give hidden insight about what is to come on the next page. I was very surprised about the depth to this book for such a young audience however, I think that the information relayed was appropriate and inspiring to readers of all ages.