The One Pig With Horns

The One Pig with Horns
Laurent de Brunhoff ~ Pantheon, 1979

This weekend, my Texas-best friend's husband went out of town and the two of us had a girl's day out of Ikea shopping, flea marketing and dumpling eating. Now, I call her my Texas-best friend so as to not hurt the feelings of my LA-best friend or my New York-best friend or my childhood best friend. Also, I'm probably not cool enough to be dubbed a best friend to her at all, so I have to add a qualifier. But I digress... Most importantly out of this weekend's tomfoolery, I was able to pillage her family book collection.

Now, this is a book that I'm quite assured you'll all run out and purchase online as soon as you hear about it, as I did. There are certain books too wonderful to wait to find, and in my case, my son is six and his picture book clock is ticking. Shhh.... Listen. Can't you hear it?

TICK TOCK TICK TOCK TICK TOCK

Arrrrrgh!!!!! But I digress... here we have a wonderfully off-kilter story written and illustrated by the son of the genius creator of the Babar series. This man is still rocking at 86 and carrying on his father's legacy. Take a moment to fully understand the awesomenesss of that, and let's move on.

Now, my son's favorite of any of the de Brunhoff books has always been Babar and Zephir, but since this treasure has arrived on the scene, it's been replaced. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what it is about this story that makes it so spectacular, but perhaps if I give you the gist, you'll be able to figure it out for yourselves...

I'm the one
the one pig with horns
strongest of all
handsomest of all
That's how pig talks when he's on top of his garbage heap. Pig has put horns on his forehead so as to be handsome as a bull. Watch out-- when you laugh at him he loses his temper. Watch out-- he's dangerous.

Watch out for the one pig with horns when he's angry!
I hate you all, you pigs without horns, and you cows -- I hate you because you've got horns, and I hate you sheep too, because you've got wool! I hate you all, every last one of you.

Nothing is scarier (or more incredible) that a pig with horns wielding a shotgun in a jealous rage. A cautionary tale of seething envy and furor, no one wants to be (or be near) this puffed up pig when he loses his temper (or his head).

My favorite part might be the funny little illustrated asides from the peanut gallery of pigs, sheep and grasshoppers. Brilliant times a bazillion.



Related:
Travels of Babar
Babar and Zephir
Babar and Father Christmas

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