There are some people in this world who think that books have no value; that they are even irrelevant in today's world. Stories, both true ones and fictional ones, have no place in their lives it would seem. The very idea of not having books in my life makes me feel sick to my stomach and cold all over. I have always loved books, and I have always wanted to have books around me.
In today's picture book you will meet a pig who lives in a world where words are not valued at all. Numbers rule, and everyone is expected to follow the rules and behave in a predictable and logical way. The pig does his best to live by the rules, but it turns out that he just isn't cut out for a humdrum life.
A Good Story
In today's picture book you will meet a pig who lives in a world where words are not valued at all. Numbers rule, and everyone is expected to follow the rules and behave in a predictable and logical way. The pig does his best to live by the rules, but it turns out that he just isn't cut out for a humdrum life.
A Good Story
Zack Rock
Picture Book
For ages 6 and up
Creative Editions, 2017, 978-1-56846-280-6
Assistant Bean Counter No. 1138 is a numbers pig. He
wrangles numbers all day, and in the world he belongs to “something only
matters if it can be counted.” Though his co-workers seem to thrive on this
life, Assistant Bean Counter No. 1138 does not feel as if he fits in. In fact,
he has never felt like he belongs. In his world everyone is expected to toe the
line “without question,” to follow the “old story” that controls everything.
However, try as he might to be happy with what is “orderly and ordinary,” this
pig cannot help giving in to his impulses to do things that are out of the
ordinary.
One rainy day
the assistant takes refuge in a strange shop that is full of books. There are
no numbers in the place. Only words. He is astonished when he discovers that
the books contain the most remarkable stories, and through the stories he is
transported to incredible worlds where anything can happen.
While he is
perusing one of the volumes the pig encounters something that captures his
interest. He reads about an acrobat. The description of what an acrobat is tugs
at him, but the old story that dictates that he must avoid anything out of the
ordinary pulls him in the opposite direction.
It is not easy
to follow your own path in life, and to find the courage to turn away from what
is expected of you so that you can follow your heart. This powerful book
explores how one little pig discovers that he does not have to follow the crowd
if he does not want to. Other options are out there, if he is willing to step
off the beaten path.
Readers of all
ages will connect with this tale as it explores a timeless, ageless, and
universal theme.
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