This dark tale is a bit sci-fi with a dash of Orwell. The Pigaroons are a society of pigs descended from Spanish pirates. The Pigaroons have no qualms about stealing. They wantonly thieve a chunk of ice from the River Patrollers, a nearby pig community. The River Patrollers are furious at the loss of the ice. It was to be carved for the annual ice sculpture contest, which they always win.
The River Patrollers decide that they cannot allow the Pigaroons to walk all over them - they must stand up for themselves and do something. Their non-violent retaliation is so clever, the River Patrollers are still awarded the ice sculpture prize despite having not produced a traditional entry. The bad Pigaroons are told not to steal anymore, but everyone knows they will never change.
The story is chock-a-block with metaphors of the human condition. Like the Pigs in this story, humans live in societies of quasi-warring clans, veering between bursts of glorious ingenuity and upholding the status quo of their own feudalistic repression. Set in the wintertime, the illustrations have a timeless, post-apocalyptic quality to them. The Pigaroon's popcorn balls look scrumptious too. Might try making those at home! Adults may enjoy this story slightly more than children. But sometimes, that is quite OK.
Pigaroons. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Hardcover, 32 pages.
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