Happily Ever Esther

June 18, 2018
This heartwarming sequel to Esther the Wonder Pig (2016) begins as animal activists and married couple Jenkins and Walter and their 600-pound pig move from suburban Toronto to Campbellville, Ont., to open the Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary, dedicated to rescuing farm animals. The book follows Jenkins and Walter as they adjust to farm life, rescue animals, learn to manage volunteers and staff members (not to mention unruly male pigs), and even navigate a feud with the Manitoba Pork Council. The authors bring the same jovial tone they used in their first book and affectionately humanize Esther, whom they call their daughter. When Esther reaches adolescence and starts to rebel, Jenkins reflects, “I don’t think Esther was looking to hook up with a bunch of drunk wild boars in the woods, but I suddenly found myself thinking like any parent who a problem child on their hands.” When the sow faces a life-threatening illness, her keepers spend thousands on her care and happily report her recovery. In addition to escapades from the their first years on the farm, the authors, both vegans, include 23 pages of “Esther-approved” recipes. Fans of the Wonder Pig franchise will find lots to love here. Photos.

June 1, 2018

The 40,000-copy best-selling Esther the Wonder Pig revealed how Jenkins and Walter adopted a piglet named Esther, who grew to weigh 600 pounds, and were inspired to found the Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary. Now the sanctuary has 42 animals, including sheep, rabbits, and a donkey, and Esther has 1.3 million followers on her various social media accounts, which few humans can match.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2018

This follow-up to Jenkins's best-selling memoir Esther the Wonder Pig picks up exactly where the first book left off, as Jenkins, his partner and coauthor Derek Walter, and their animal family make the move to a farm in Campbellville, Ontario. Using his trademark self-deprecating humor, Jenkins, aided by writer Caprice Crane and Walter, chronicles the zany misadventures that accompany their effort to transform the derelict farm into a successful sanctuary for rescues. Readers will share in the drama as Esther develops a "teenage" attitude and escapes the farm, challenges emerge with overreaching volunteers, and Jenkins and Walter struggle with isolation and loneliness as they settle into country life far away from old friends and jobs. Jenkins is refreshingly candid about the huge learning curve that defined the sanctuary's early years and rightfully proud of its success (to date they have taken in more than 50 rescued animals). Includes 14 "Esther-approved" (vegan) recipes. VERDICT Although there is less focus on Esther and her piggy personality, this is essential reading for her many fans, who will enjoy learning what she and her family (both animal and human) have been up to. [See Prepub Alert, 1/22/18.]--Kelsy Peterson, Forest Hill Coll., Melbourne, Australia

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2018

The 40,000-copy best-selling Esther the Wonder Pig revealed how Jenkins and Walter adopted a piglet named Esther, who grew to weigh 600 pounds, and were inspired to found the Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary. Now the sanctuary has 42 animals, including sheep, rabbits, and a donkey, and Esther has 1.3 million followers on her various social media accounts, which few humans can match.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.