Pig-Boy: A Trickster Tale from Hawai’i
Pig-Boy, A Trickster Tale from Hawai’i
By Gerald McDermott
Harcourt Children’s Books, $16.00, 32 pages
On the surface, Pig-Boy is a Hawaiian tale that celebrates the many deities of the islands as shape-shifter Kamapua’a slips away from his pursuers. Beneath the surface, however, lies a playful, purple pig that is raised to live each moment to its fullest.
Pig-Boy’s grandmother wraps him in soft leaves and sings him an empowering lullaby, which he takes to heart. When he awakes, he naturally responds to his hunger and eats. First he eats the roots in his Grandmother’s taro patch, then he eats the King’s chickens. The King’s men don’t take kindly to that and come after Pig-Boy, who squeals and becomes a hundred little piglets and slips away. Looking for protection, he sails to Pele, the goddess of fire. But Pele sees only a dirty pig. She shakes the earth and fills the sky with smoke and fire. Pig-Boy squeals, turns into a pig-nosed fish and slips away. When he returns to land, the King’s men capture him in nets. But as they carry him to the roasting pit, Pig-Boy makes himself bigger, breaks the nets and slips away. He becomes his small self and runs to his Grandmother for comfort. In her arms, he dreams that he is all powerful and if trouble comes, he can slip away. Pig-Boy is a delightful story that encourages us to be who we are, and, mirroring the relaxing culture found in the Hawaiian islands, things will work out.
Reviewed by Susan L. Roberts
