Piglet in a Playpen

The eponymous heroine is the runt of a litter condemned to death by a struggling farmer. His surly son, Brandon, has, however, fallen in love with the doomed little saddleback, and his efforts to save her are supported by the daughter of the local vet and by her animal-loving friend. The tension between sentimental and hard-nosed views of farming is well represented in the ordeal suffered by the tough but tender Brandon, whose passion for pigs strives for expression in a classroom oral assessment scene. A happy ending is a foregone conclusion in this sort of story, but the author provides us with some instruction and entertainment on the way.