A Day No Pigs Would Die

Peck, Robert. A Day No Pigs Would Die. Random House: New York, 1972. 150 Pages.

This novel about a Vermont farm family which includes: Aunt Carrie, Papa (Haven), Mama, and Robert. One day when Robert was skipping school and walking through the woods he seen his neighbors (Mr. and Mrs. Tanner) cow, Apron, having a hard time giving berth to her two bull claves. A mistake that he did was trying to help her. He got all torn up but, he finally got the two out.

As a reward Mr. Tanner gave Robert a baby pig. Robert named it Pinky because of the color of her skin. The best thing he liked about Pinky is that it's the only thing that he can say it was his. Pinky and he spent a lot of time together he was always washing her and playing with her.

One day as he was walking by Mrs. Bascom's house she called to him. He was scared because the last time he was near her he got hit with a broomstick. She wanted help moving flowering pots. He got introduced to Ira Long, Mrs. Bascom's handyman. They would later give Mr. Tanner a good word to take Robert to the fair.

Mr. Tanner would later ask Robert and Pinky to go to the Rutland fair with him. The Rutland fair is something that none of the Peck family has gone to.

Mr. Tanner wanted Robert to circle his two bull calves around the show ring. They would also put Pinky in the pig competition, both the calves and pinky won 1st place ribbons.

In the following winter months Haven went to work and came home smelling like pig guts. That was one thing Robert didn't like his father doing. He always went hunting for winter food but this year wasn't looking good either was the apple harvest. Haven started to tell Robert to start putting meat into Pinky's food.

Haven didn't get a deer that winter, so one cold December day Haven told Robert to go get his work tools. Robert thought that was odd because he was already done butchering hogs for the day. Both of them got jackets on and went outside as they were walking towards the pigs' pen Robert knew what they were doing. They got Pinky out of her pen and Haven told Robert to turn his back.

He heard the sound that he will never forget, the sound of a pigs skull smashing. As Pinky fell to the snow covered ground Robert felt like crying. She wasn't dead but she was barely