Determined Pig Grows Organic Garden in New Picture Book

CHAPPAQUA, N.Y., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Kathryn Thurman's new picture book, A Garden for Pig (Kane Miller), takes a novel approach to organic gardening.  Based on the true story of Basil, a pet pig who lived on the author's family farm, it's the humorous tale of a patient pink pig with a love of vegetables and a very special gardening technique.  Kids who share Basil's attraction to dirt and fondness for eating yummy things will want to dig right in.  

Thurman's simple, child-friendly text and Lindsay Ward's full-color mixed media illustrations show how patience and determination—combined with healthy doses of mud, rain, and sunshine—can yield a bumper crop.  Pig is tired of apples, but Mrs. Pippins has no intention of feeding him anything else.  Oh, for some yummy vegetables!  But Pig isn't allowed in the vegetable patch, and he can't squeeze through the fence.  Is there nothing Pig can do?  Fortunately, after a bit of mischief and a surprising plot twist, Pig's garden blossoms.  

Basil, the real animal who inspired A Garden for Pig, enjoyed "communicating with people, swimming in the pond, playing hide and seek, and rooting the soil with his snout," says Thurman. "He tilled, fertilized, and really did plant his own squash garden without any help from humans—all organic, of course. During Basil's long life he educated many people about the humane treatment of animals and how intelligent pigs are."

The book comes with tips for kids on planting, mulching, and fertilizing an organic garden, instructions for making your own compost bin, and advice on how to fight weeds and insects without pesticides.  

Kathryn Thurman, www.kathrynthurman.com, is a writer and fine artist. She and her family live on an island near Seattle.  When she is not writing or painting, she can be found in her organic garden.  But she's not as good a gardener as Basil.  

SOURCE Kathryn Thurman