The Christmas Pig

Fantastic Christmas Adventure
I’ve been reading The Christmas Pig to my 6 (nearly 7) year old son every night through December and we’ve both absolutely loved it.The first few chapters of the book do deal with separation and divorce. My son can sometimes be a bit sensitive around these subjects but it’s a reality of life and something some of his friends have had to get through so, unlike other readers, I didn’t find answering the questions he brought up a problem at all. That said it may be a trigger for some children.The main bulk of the story is a wonderful adventure. We can all relate to the intense love children have for a particular teddy and the anguish it causes when that teddy is lost. Jack’s love for D.P leads him into the Land of the Lost where Jack and the Christmas Pig face (slightly scary) Loss Adjusters and a tense journey to find D.PThey story itself is brilliantly told (as you would expect) and the handful of illustrations really got my son’s imagination going. I could see a fully illustrated re-release at some point in the future.Overall I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book – my son couldn’t wait for bedtime and I couldn’t wait to read it to him.

A perfect gift for a child whose parents have divorced
Christmas Pig is the perfect story for any child of primary school age whose parents have announced they are getting divorced. J.K Rowling perfectly captures the sadness, shock and anger that Jack and Holly feel when their parents separate and then go on to find new partners. Jack’s sadness losing his toy pig during a quarrel reminded me of my sadness when my mum threw out my beloved and dilapidated ragdoll, Lucy, because she considered her too scruffy to keep any longer. I found the story so moving, it actually brought tears to my eyes. However, rest assured that there are happy moments, too, and it is definitely worth a read. My only criticism is the book’s awful cover by Jim Field. The character on the cover does not capture the sensitive magic of the story at all. I wish J. K. Rowling had used Thomas Taylor who beautifully illustrated the original Harry Potter books, to design this one .

Such a clever world
Jack has been through many changes in his young life but his beloved toy, Dur Pig or DP, has always been there to comfort him and share in his adventures. Then one Christmas Eve, DP is lost. But The Christmas Pig (DP’s unwanted replacement) has a daring plan to get DP back that takes them both to a magical new world.This is a lovely one-sitting read for December. It starts by accurately portraying the worries, concerns and feelings of young children experiencing challenges in their family lives and the attachments they make to their belongings as a comfort. This leads smoothly into the impact on them when they lose these objects and the extent they would go to to get them back.Jack and The Christmas Pig meet so many interesting characters as they explore this world, like the manifestations of our traits and habits, but the best has to be Blue Bunny. He is beautifully heart-breaking and I will hear nothing said against him.The world created here is so richly developed, with deep-rooted lore that is woven throughout. I did feel some of the comments on consumerism were a bit on the nose but they did make sense in the wider context of the story.Also, Field’s illustrations are fantastic. The parts are separated by a double page illustration, all of which feature hidden details of the upcoming section that make them truly satisfying to refer back to.

Emotional rollercoaster
I bought this when it came out in 2021, however my children were a bit too young to listen to it, this year they are 6 & 8, it was perfect. We started at the beginning of December and have finished on Christmas Eve. The chapters are all relatively short, so you can all get involved without it being too overwhelming. However, there were chapters where we were all crying and had to have a pause. I love J K Rowlings writing style and Jim Field’s illustrations were beautiful. Definitely a firm favourite in this house.

This is a great story for children and adults about the power of love and gratitude.JK Rowling has created another fantastic set of characters

Beautiful book and story. The cover is gorgeous, the story is simple but magical. I loved it and will read it to my kids when they’re older.綺麗な本と面白い話しです。簡単だけど魔法的な話しから大好きです。