This is my first time reading J. K. Rowling. I’ve never had any interest in Harry Potter – never read nor watched the shows. I have the full set of books but they just sat there doing nothing.
Something about The Christmas Pig made me want to read it. Maybe it’s the Christmas theme, or the nice colourful book cover. Whatever the appeal, I’m glad I read it. It stirred a few things in me, including a lump in the throat followed by teary eyes. The book agreed with the “wanna-be Minimalist” in me, and it has some life lessons in it that makes good teaching conversations with kids about life’s emotions and values. It has lots of good points to talk to kids about (actually for adults too if we care to ponder a little deeper) so I’m considering buying the book for keeps since the copy I read is on loan from the library.
A book that’s categorised as children’s book for 8 to 12 year olds, it’s surprisingly entertaining even for adults like me. It tells of the tale of a beloved toy that was lost and its heartbroken owner who will stop at nothing to get it back.
So off we go into an adventure into a land that we have never imagined, The Land of the Lost. It’s quite a world that the author created, and fun to get through the different places in which lost Things are being categorised and how they relate to how to treat our belongings.
Apart from meeting material lost Things, we also get a glimpse into what we human often lose in terms of the intangibles, which can be the more severe losses in life – ambition, happiness, hope, optimism, etc. Some of these parts in the story, I feel, make good touch points to cover with children if one is reading this story to or with kids. And who knows, if some of us adults have “lost” some of these, it may make us think a little and discover where we have misplaced them, and maybe find them again in our lives.
Maybe I read a little too much in between the lines into the intangible characters of the story, and turn philosophical about it, but it’s what made me enjoy the book. I wish my kids would read this so we could talk about it, but I know they wouldn’t since it might be too wordy for their tastes. I would happily get this book as their Christmas gift (albeit pricey) if they say yes!
Whilst the book may be a little predictable, there is still a little element of surprise and that’s a nice finishing touch. I finished the book feeling rather wowed and I’m considering reading Ickaborg to see if I would enjoy that as well.