The Pig War: How a Porcine Tragedy Taught England and America to Share

Here is a true story of how the great nations of America and England almost went to war in 1859 over a pig–but learned to share instead.

NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book Winner of the Washington Library Association Towner Award

Here is a true story of how the great nations of America and England almost went to war in 1859 over a pig-but learned to share instead.

In 1859, the British and Americans coexist on the small island of San Juan, located off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. They are on fairly good terms–until one fateful morning when an innocent hog owned by a British man has the misfortune to eat some potatoes on an American farmer’s land. In a moment of rash anger, Lyman Cutlar shoots Charles Griffin’s pig, inadvertently almost bringing the two nations to war. Tensions flare, armies gather, cannons are rolled out … all because of a pig! Emma Bland Smith’s humorous text and Alison Jay’s folksy illustrations combine in this whimsical nonfiction picture book that models the principles of peaceful conflict resolution.