Goody Sherman's Pig [Hardcover]

Mary Blount Christian (Author), Dirk Zimmer (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

In Massachusetts in 1636, Goody Sherman begins a 1egal battle over her pig that ends up dividing the legislative department of the colony into two independent branches.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

One hot day in Boston , 1636, Goody Sherman discovers that Piggy Pig has escaped from her pen. When foolish Captain Keayne finds the animal, he puts her in the pound. Since Piggy Pig's litters have always brought the poor Shermans money, Goody works her fingers to the bone so she can pay the captain's unreasonable ransom and get Piggy Pig back. When Goody finally earns enough money, she learns that the captain served the hapless porker for dinner at his latest party. So begins Goody Sherman's prolonged quest for justice through the colony's court system. The determined woman quickly discovers that the legal process is far from just; ironically, the court comes to the same conclusion. A new legislative system is developed, consisting of two separate houses; over 100 years later, this system becomes the basis of the U.S. government--all because of Piggy Pig. Based on a true story, this lively tale brims with period details and rich, colorful language. Zimmer's cartoonlike drawings augment the story's humor. Ages 7-11.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-- In Boston, Massachusetts, in the year 1636, Goodwife Elizabeth Sherman's pig escapes from the barn because of a loose yoke. Over the next seven years, Goody Sherman fights legal battles against Captain Robert Keayne to prove that he captured her pig, slaughtered it, and fed it to his dinner guests. This work of historical fiction, based on a true incident, proposes that Goody Sherman's legal battles are the reason that the United States now has a bicameral system of government. Christian develops the plot at a steady pace and does not let it drag. In Goody Sherman, she has created a very strong character. The goodwife pays no attention to her title or the cultural conventions of her day and could be considered a feminist of her time. Unfortunately, the author does not explain how such titles as "Goodman" or "Goodwife" fit into the social history of the United States. Zimmer's pen-and-ink drawings and use of crosshatching are not as successful here as in Larry Bograd's Egon (Macmillan, 1980; o.p.) and Ted Hughes's The Iron Giant (HarperCollins, 1988), both of which are comparable to Eric Blegvad's best work. The humorous style of this book is appropriate to the story of the legal ramifications of a lost pig and is consistent throughout. An acceptable companion to Jean Fritz's Shh! We're Writing the Constitution (1987) and Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? (1982, both Putnam).
- Andrew W. Hunter, Queens Borough Public Library, NY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 43 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (March 30, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0027182517
• ISBN-13: 978-0027182514
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,926,020 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Goody Sherman's Pig, March 31, 2009

By 

Anna M. Ligtenberg "AnnaLovesBooks" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Goody Sherman's Pig (Hardcover)

ISBN 0027182517 - I'd bet that you, upon looking at the cover of this book, think "hey, that looks like a fun read for a little kid!" Face it, books with "pig" in the title, they just automatically make you think "little kids", and you're expecting funny little stories and maybe talking animals. Get over that - this one is a surprise, reading age is probably 9 and up.

Goodwife Elizabeth Sherman owns a pig, the daughter of the pig that she brought to Massachusetts from England. In 1636, Sherman's Piggy Pig, her one source of income, gets loose and is taken by the pound keeper, whom Sherman must pay a fee before he will return her animal and the litter she was carrying when she escaped. The fee is high and it takes some time for Elizabeth to raise the funds; by the time she does, Piggy Pig is missing... but there are stories around town that Captain Robert Keayne served a feast to guests at his home... and ham was on the menu! Determined, despite being mocked - and even left - by her husband, Elizabeth sues and loses, sues and loses, for years. Luck, however, is on her side. The ship taking her husband back to England brings a lawyer, George Story, to her door. In exchange for room and board, Story offers her his legal services. Although Story and Sherman lose the court battle, things turn out well for them - and even better for US!

On the historical side: The indirect end result of Sherman's fight against Keayne was the creation of two houses of government, a system that was copied over a hundred years later when the United States was formed and the Congress, made of two houses, was created. This is a mostly-true story and, for that, it deserves a reading, especially because the story is so little known. For example (as of this writing) Keayne, Sherman and Story all do NOT have a page at Wikipedia and the Wikipedia pages of governor John Winthrop and Deer Island don't mention the story, nor does the Deer Island homepage; the popular history of Congress doesn't refer to this tale at all, either. John Winthrop: America's Forgotten Founding Father mentions it (although I haven't read it yet), if you're looking for a telling aimed at adults.

As for the book, itself: the illustrations, by Dirk Zimmer, are black and white sketches and are pretty boring - but the target audience isn't the "picture book" age group, so that's okay. Author Mary Blount Christian does a reasonable job of making the story readable and interesting. She does, inexplicably, use some words (blablative and arrogate come to mind) that just don't fit into the style she writes in throughout the book. There's no explanation whatsoever for why all married women are called "Goodwife", a circumstance that makes the reader wonder why, if all women are called by this name, Elizabeth Sherman should end up with the nickname "Goody"; this could have been explained in a couple of sentences. Christian's ending feels rushed and her explanation of how Sherman's case paved the way for the creation of Congress, as we know it, is a little difficult to follow. As a fun read, a good story, it's lacking, but for filling a gap in the telling of history, I find the book worth the effort.

- AnnaLovesBooks