Hello everyone! You may remember when I posted an image of The Next Big Pigs, a chapter book by Ryan Uytdewilligen, to my Instagram, Threads, Twitter and Bluesky in March. In those posts, I announced that I was invited to review an advance reading copy of the book ahead of its release date by Heritage House Press. Well, with the book’s recent release, I am happy to share my review! Be sure to get it wherever books are sold! You can also check out Uytdewilligen’s website at this link! Below is the book’s synopsis:
Ten-year-old Mikey is a farm kid who doesn’t want to farm. He wants to perform! But as an only child living in an isolated location, he has no one to talk to, let alone perform for. Life is pretty lonely until the day Mikey’s parents give him three pigs to care for and raise.
As Mikey soon finds out, these are no ordinary pigs! Humphrey, Bianca, and Moo (yes, a pig named Moo) can talk! And dance! And put on show! Life on the farm transforms into a rehearsal space as Mikey and the pigs get ready for the big time―Broadway here they come!
But will they make it off the farm in time to escape the evil Mr. Baconmaker? And will their dreams of fame and fortune come true? The Next Big Pigs is a zany adventure that will encourage young readers to find their voice and pursue their talents.
I’m glad to have been given this opportunity after my previous review of The Big Switch: Varney And Cedric! But before we begin, I would like to give a heads up to some spoilers to the book. Let’s see what performances await in these pages, shall we?
Background
In March 2026, I received a message from Ryan Uytdewilligen, the author of The Next Big Pigs. According to the “About The Author” page from The Next Big Pigs, Uytdewilligen was raised on a family farm outside Coaldale, Alberta. There were always indeed a great many pigs around, and he was a proud member of the agricultural youth program 4-H. But, as for this book’s main character, the bright lights of film and theatre came calling. Ryan acted in after-school productions and worked in radio and print journalism, before studying creative writing at Vancouver Film School. He has written for the stage and screen, published numerous books on film history, including Killing John Wayne, and several novels, including Tractor, Akela, and He’s No Angel. Ryan’s first children’s picture book, This Is Not My Story, was published by KidsCan Press in 2023.
Also, according to the About page on the website of the book’s illustrator, Charlotte Cho, Charlotte has been drawing ever since she can remember. Now, she is focusing on the art of storytelling and creating whimsical illustrations for young readers. Watercolors and an earthy but vibrant palette are Charlotte’s tools of choice she uses to bring her work to life. Based in Vancouver, Charlotte graduated in 2025 from Emily Carr University of Art +Design, where she enjoyed days in a bright studio with a mountain view. Her debut picture book as an illustrator, The Next Big Pigs was published in 2026 with Heritage House. When not in the studio, Charlotte can be found knitting or making lattes. The Projects page on Cho’s website also states that Charlotte’s Web was one of her favorite reads as a kid for obvious reasons, and ‘Wilbur’ was her wrestling alias in high school. She feels that it’s very lucky and fitting that the subjects of her debut picture book are pigs. You can check out Cho’s website at this link!
Uytdewilligen told me that the book is a zany adventure that will encourage young readers to find their voice and pursue their talents. It’s loosely inspired by his experiences growing up on a Lethbridge-area pig farm, and how he did not want to be a pig farmer. He asked me if there is an opportunity to do a review, and I liked the concept, so I decided to agree. I thanked him for reaching out and told him that it indeed sounded like a delightful and zany adventure, and I loved the idea of Mikey and the talking, dancing pigs. I then asked him to send any materials before he sent me the PDF review copy. When I finally got around to reading the book, I was interested in including a short-written Q&A in my post after my previous review of The Big Switch: Varney And Cedric. I decided to submit the following questions below, and I’m happy to report that Uytdewilligen got back to me with the following answers!
Q: What first inspired the idea of a farm boy teaming up with talking, dancing pigs?
A: When I was a young kid growing up on a pig farm, I wanted to be an actor. I had all of these ideas and characters. But I found myself in pig barns and my mom teased me that all I would have is an audience of pigs to perform for, which was kind of true. I was always singing and talking to them in funny voices. But that stuck with me for many years until I thought, “maybe they wanted to act too?” So the story of a farm boy discovering his pigs could talk and dance and sing was born!
Q: Since the story was loosely inspired by your own experiences growing up on a pig farm, how much of Mikey’s personality or journey reflects your own?
A: Unfortunately, the pigs did not talk to me. And I never walked in on them rehearsing. But I did want to be an actor. The farm had different crops and then pigs and I was the only child of the new generation in the family, so it seemed like my future was going to be agriculture. But I was never suited for it. I wanted to do something more creative. So that theme of telling your parents you don’t want to take over the family business and do something a little wild and crazy instead, very much comes from my experience.
Q: Humphrey, Bianca, and Moo each have memorable personalities. Did you have a favorite pig to write?
A: Moo was the most silly and comical. He was definitely my favorite. I’ve always loved the comic relief character in books and movies, and Moo is over the top and has all of the funny wise cracks. He would have been my favorite character as a kid. Although, I will say, Humphrey’s voice was very clear to me. I always pictured Niles from Frasier when it came to how he spoke and behaved, which made it fun to write.
Q: The book encourages kids to pursue their talents and find their voice. What message do you hope young readers take away from Mikey’s story?
A: I hope that young readers find the inspiration and courage to follow their dreams. I was very lucky to be encouraged to do just that, but I know some can find it hard to get going, chase a silly dream, or find the support to do so. The book hopefully shows readers that you can do something different and the best part of chasing a dream is doing it with the people you love. You cheer each other on.
Q: You’ve written nonfiction, novels, and children’s books. How does your creative process change when writing for younger readers?
A: I write the same way, except kids books are very creative. Obviously, there are restrictions on what is suitable for young readers or situations and references they may not understand, but outside of that, you can go “hog wild” as it were. Talking pigs can be completely believable in the world of a young reader book, so it’s a lot more about telling a simple story and having fun.
But how was the book, anyway? Was this reading experience a performance of the ages?
The Review
If I had to summarize this book in two words, it would be “cute” and “ridiculous”, and I mean that in the best way possible. The book begins with an esteemed pig farmer named Ken E. Baconmaker selling three pigs to the family of a ten-year old boy named Mikey Willigin. Right away, Uytdewilligen’s description of Baconmaker’s design foreshadows his role as an antagonist (if his hilariously on-the-nose last name wasn’t enough for you), with his largely unappealing features save for his stylized boots, which is a nice quirky contrast. Cho’s first illustration in the book of Baconmaker also sells his towering presence from Mikey’s perspective, which adds to his intimidation even as Uytdewilligen sells his exceptional public image. Overall, the book has less illustrations than I thought it would have, and they’re not evenly spaced out either (save for the alternating dressed up pigs at the start of each chapter). But the few illustrations that it does have convey a very distinct visual language. Cho’s adorably chaotic art style fits perfectly for the tone of the story, making for a perfect union between author and illustrator that few other chapter books rival.
And what about Mikey? His parents are farmers who live in the countryside. He initially didn’t ask to raise a pig, let alone three, and his father wants him to follow in his footsteps as a farmer, but he wants to be an actor instead. I like how Uytdewilligen doesn’t state this outright but gradually reveals it through Mikey’s behavior instead. It fits Mikey’s personality as someone who is timid and unsure of himself, yet passionate about achieving his goals. From the beginning, the book’s logic is mostly consistent with reality until the moment the pigs talk and prepare to perform. I love this moment because of how quickly it shifts the book’s logic from a little quirky to outright nonsensical in the best way. The explanation for the pigs’ ability to speak and dance isn’t clearly explained. I figured it’s because Baconmaker is simply that good at raising the best pigs and Mikey continued raising the pigs the same way Baconmaker would’ve. But the pigs insult Baconmaker’s very ability to identify a pig, let alone his pig-raising skills. Though they probably didn’t like him as a person from the beginning, and Baconmaker’s other pigs display similar talents much later in the story. But the lack of a clear answer might be intentional and works for the silliness.
So, who are our trio, anyway? We’ll start with Moo, the pig that Mikey picked at the beginning of the story. He’s the middle-sized member of the trio, whose name is short for “Morrice”. He’s a jokester, but his jokes don’t always land. He’s also a little dimwitted whose incorrect interpretations of certain concepts makes him funny where he didn’t intend to be. Then there’s Humphrey, the largest pig in the trio (who actually appears bigger than Mikey), who has a deep voice, is an expert in opera, and is knowledgeable in all things William Shakespeare. He acts as though he is always acting, speaking with the sophistication of a highly esteemed actor. Finally, there’s Bianca, the smallest pig in the trio. She’s the most mature and levelheaded of the three and has little room for Moo’s nonsense, yet she’s still prone to making mistakes and has a problem with her odor, which is an interesting subversion of expectations for a female pig. Each pig’s personality is very different, but they also share one thing in common: a desire to be actors like Mikey. They’re also hilariously capable of putting on outfits that come out of literally nowhere. They not only serve as performance costumes, but disguises that fool others into thinking they’re human. It’s classic cartoon humor that perfectly adds to the nonsensicalness.
Of course, Mikey can no longer bring himself to have the pigs be sold off now that he has friends who understand him, which is when his other personality traits begin to shine, which is one of the best parts about his character. He’s blunt about the truth when he feels it is necessary (such as telling his parents that the pigs can talk), yet keeps other truths to himself if he fears it will harm the emotional states of others (such as not telling the pigs that humans eat them or they were going to be sold off). When Mikey’s parents chalk up his claims of talking pigs to an active imagination, he decides to run away from home with the pigs and head to New York City in order to score their big break on Broadway. Which brings us to another great part about Mikey’s character: he’s not trying to get into trouble for trouble’s sake. He’s doing the wrong thing for the right reasons by taking risks for both his and the pigs’ art careers. Most of the book is dominated by this trip to the Big Apple, but it’s clear that Uytdewilligen believes that the journey is better than the destination, because this was a hilarious journey. (I thought the first part of the book was set in Canada at first given Uytdewilligen living there, but the later geographic details more or less confirm this is entirely set in the U.S.)
My favorite part of the book was actually how this journey starts. When Mikey bluntly asks to take the family truck to New York, his parents jokingly agree, but Mikey actually thinks they’re serious. The pigs sneak onto the truck and drive it off while Mikey’s parents are distracted, but Bianca hilariously fails to get the truck far in a sequence that feels straight out of a classic cartoon, making the trip WAY more unpredictable than it otherwise would be. Baconmaker crosses paths with them again, seeking to capture them and make a fortune off their talents, which funnily enough reminded me of Ian Hawke from the live-action Alvin and the Chipmunks films. Mikey’s parents are soon revealed to be searching for him but rarely catch up to him. Mikey proves to be a real hustler for his age as the pigs quite literally perform their way from location to location on their way to NYC. At one point, the pigs spot a two-headed tiger, a mouse-sized elephant, and a woman who eats motorcycles. At another point, there is even a man who is smitten with Bianca (until he realizes who she really was). It’s ridiculous, but it’s a ridiculousness that works because Uytdewilligen succeeded in creating a world with its own internal logic that’s not supposed to make sense in reality but makes perfect sense within it.
The New York City portion of the book was just as great as the journey itself, though I might be a bit biased since I live in the city. The familiarity did make it easy to ground myself in the setting (Mikey saying that the city was even smellier than Baconmaker’s farm was an especially great joke). There’s a great moment of tension between the characters that culminates in them interfering in a production of Hamlet (I think the “Ham” in Hamlet subtly drove Uytdewilligen’s choice to pick that play, which if intentional or not was pretty clever). But the book also has just about every pig-related joke you can imagine, from a scene involving a piggy bank to the reason pigs say “oink” to an excellent use of the idiom “when pigs fly”. Uytdewilligen’s prose is very playful, often withholding details until the end of a moment for maximum joke delivery. There are a few typos in certain parts, and the pacing is a bit fast in moments, but these are mere nitpicks in an otherwise hilariously enjoyable story. The ending was a truly earned moment for Mikey’s emotional intelligence, and it actually has a message that was even better than the one I expected. I figured that the book would simply communicate the dangers of pursuing fame. But it also has another message that’s more rare and just as important: pursue your talent instead, and maybe everything will fall into place.
Ultimately, The Next Big Pigs is a cute and hilarious story about what it means to pursue your dreams as an artist. It shows how sometimes, you need to take risks if you want to achieve those dreams, and how becoming an artist isn’t about finding fame, but just doing what you love and honing your craft until fame finds you. I think that this book could help introverted talented children understand that it’s good, even necessary, to get out of your comfort zone to find success, and extroverted talented children understand that doing art solely for the sake of name-recognition can lead to disaster. It could even help parents of talented children understand how their child’s goals might be different from theirs, and the dangers of not having a conversation with them about those goals. I wonder if Uytdewilligen has any plans to continue exploring this wacky universe, even if I can’t come up with anything aside from a revenge scheme from Baconmaker. But I guess that’s the point of a zany world – you’re not supposed to be able to easily predict what the next performance will be!
So, what did you think of my review? Will you be checking out The Next Big Pigs? I will be posting an edited version of my review of the book to my Goodreads shortly. Do you have a children’s book that is about to be released? You can send me an advance reading copy of your book (preferably electronic) for me to leave a review on or after the book’s release date in a future blog post. You can also send me the book’s cover for me to promote it on my Instagram, Threads, Twitter and Bluesky before its release date. Check the Contact page for more information. Be aware that I prefer to review middle grade, traditionally published books and books NOT created using artificial intelligence, and even then, I may not review every book I receive.
Until then, stay enlightened, educated and entertained, folks.
