Say "HI" to Esther
When an old friend contacted Steve Jenkins out of the blue and begged him to take in a ‘micro’ piglet, he couldn’t say no. Though he knew his partner wouldn’t be thrilled about him taking in yet another stray, the idea of having a cute little pig to care for was simply irresistible. Little did he know, that decision would turn his and Derek’s lives upside down.
It turned out that as adorable as she was, there was nothing ‘micro’ about Esther, and as she grew and grew, Steve and Derek realised that they had actually signed on to raise a full-sized commercial pig. Within three years, dainty little Esther grew to a whopping 600 pounds (270 kilograms). After a rollercoaster ride of growing pains and a lot of pig-sized dramas, it became clear that Esther needed 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 offer refuge to other animals in need.
Inspired by their adventures with their not so little pig, Steve and Derek have become two of the world’s best known and most successful animal rights activists, alongside the magnificent Esther, who has hundreds of thousands of fans around the world. Best of all, Esther the Wonder Pig shows how families really do come in all shapes and sizes.
My Review
I am familiar with Esther. I have seen pictures of her on her Facebook page. Yet, I have not been a follower of her's since the beginning. So, it was a treat to get to see how it all began. I have raised chickens and turkeys; yet I can't imagine raising a full commercial size pig.
I had to laugh when Steve accepted Esther and was thinking of ways to ease Derek into the idea. When I was younger, my mom, sister, and I were at a craft fair. As we left, there in the parking lot was a guy selling black Labrador puppies. The biggest one came wobbling over to us and of course we had to take the puppy home. When we got home, my mom told my sister and I to wait in the car with our new puppy while my mom went to tell my dad. My dad was not keen on the idea but in the end, he end we kept the puppy and he even named her. Pepper. They had a bit of a love/hate (more like battle of the minds) relationship but they were really close to each other.
Instantly, I fell in love with Esther. She is a queen. Yet, Esther may be the star of this book but it would not have been if not for Steve and Derek. Additionally, I fell in love with them as well. They are like ying and yang. So happy that Esther has found her "forever" home. Animal lovers will be tickled pink with this book.
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