Foster: The Naughty Pig Who Changed His Ways
Melanie Higgins Zysk
ISBN: 9781439206911
BookSurge Publishing
Reviewed By Cary Merriman

Official Apex Reviews Rating: 


Foster is quite the adventurous pig – too adventurous, in fact, for his own good. While out on a walk one day with his mother, brothers, and sisters, Foster's curiosity gets the best of him, and he ends up separated from his brood. After a lonely night alone in the wild, he resolves the next morning to find and reunite with his family. He eventually ventures into a nursery, and, after a brief stay, he's adopted by a nice woman named Janice, who takes him instantly and carries him home with her.

Foster spends a few blissful days with Janice – until one night she gets into an argument with her husband about his rooting habits; he's highly upset at the way that Foster has disrupted their yard, and he wants him gone. Sadly, Janice takes Foster to the Humane Society shelter, where he makes fast friends with the staff and other animals. However, since no one expresses an interest in adopting him, he's scheduled for impending euthanization.

After coming within a hair's breadth of being put down, though, Foster is rescued from the shelter by Melanie, who brings him to live with her at the ranch that she shares with her husband and dozens of other animals that they've also rescued or adopted. Foster fits right in, and he and Melanie form an instant bond – but his adventurousness soon gets the best of him again, and he finds himself getting into one shenanigan after another, ultimately taking Melanie and her husband's patience to the limit. It then becomes imperative that Foster learn to change his ways before he wears out his welcome and misses out on the greatest opportunity he's ever had.

Engaging and fun, Foster: The Naughty Pig Who Changed His Ways is a delightful read. In it, Melanie Higgins Zysk presents the adventures – and misadventures – of an adorable little pig that it's impossible not to love. Her lively accounts of his ongoing ventures jump off the page, and it's also quite surprising to see just how well a pig can adjust to being a household pet – which is what one would normally expect from a dog or a cat.

The premise of the story may seem as though it's aimed at a younger audience, but Foster is an engrossing tale that readers of all ages are sure to enjoy – as well as learn quite a bit from in the process. A highly recommended literary treat.