State Library of Kansas : Kansas Center for the Book : Letters About Literature : Past Winners
2011 Winner: Robert Brian Ludwig (Level 3)
Book Title: A Day No Pigs Would Die
Book Author: Robert Newton Peck
Dear Robert Newton Peck,
I have read countless books over the years of subjects ranging from a boy trapped in the madness of the Civil War and having to earn his Red Badge of Courage to a young girl being swept away to a mystical Land of Oz. Through this vast array of writings I have unsuccessfully searched through cover after cover, page after page, to find a story that really reached out and took a hold of me. I began to doubt that I would ever find that certain book that I could read a thousand times and still sense adventure and fascination every time I turned the page. That is, until my freshman year when I read your book, A Day No Pigs Would Die.
I found several strong connections with your book. The first major connection hit me right from the start with the main character, Robert. Obviously, I could connect with the main character, as both our names are Robert. Also, being from a small farming community that is located smack dab in the middle of the heartland, my childhood resembled Robert’s very closely. While I read about Robert’s adventures in the backwoods of Vermont, I couldn’t help but remember my own undertakings in the dry creek beds of Kansas. One of the biggest reasons this book intrigued me so much is because, with every chapter, I reflected on one of the chapters from my own life that was identical to the book.
The second strong connection with your book came when you introduced Robert’s pet pig, Pinky. As I have previously mentioned, I grew up on a small family farm in the heartland of America. My father raised hogs for many years before I was born. Only a couple months after my tenth birthday, I purchased my first hog from a small farm sale in southern Nebraska, and ever since then I have raised slaughter and show hogs. I can really connect with Robert in his love for his pet pig. I had an undying love for my first pig just as he did throughout the book. Many people who are not from a rural community could not make the connection between a young boy and a pig. What only Robert and I can comprehend is that it doesn’t matter what species your pet is, you develop a strong friendship with the person that is right there beside you in the good times and the bad, even if it’s a pig.
The final, and most meaningful, connection I developed with your book is the relationship between a boy and his father. Robert’s father, Haven, works tirelessly in the slaughter house and on the farm. Toward the end of the novel, Haven’s health begins to diminish and Robert realizes this. As his father’s abilities lessen, Robert takes over more responsibilities as well as strengthening his relationship with his father. My father has been my role model for the entirety of my life. He drives to work in the dark at six o’clock and returns home in the dark at six o’clock and then does farm chores on top of that. I can only idolize his sense of work ethic and responsibility. The only difference between my life and Robert’s is that I still have my father to support me and set the precedence for the remainder of my life.
Being a teenage boy, when asked about books I’ve read, my mind goes empty like a roomful of boys when Sixteen Candles comes on. On the other hand, when asked about my favorite book, only one comes to mind—A Day No Pigs Would Die. Every time a peer mentions its title, I can’t help but picture in my head the scene of Apron running over the hill, dragging Robert, who’s naked as a jay bird, by the arm and I chuckle silently. I still read A Day No Pigs Would Die several times a year, and with every turn of the page, I still feel that sense of adventure and excitement that I experienced the first time I read it. It is for that sense of joy that I would like to thank you, Robert Newton Peck.
Sincerely,
Robert Brian Ludwig