''The Marzipan Pig'' (1986, ) is a children's book by

Russell Hoban Russell Conwell Hoban (February 4, 1925 – December 13, 2011) was an American expatriate writer. His works span many genres, including fantasy, science fiction, mainstream fiction, magical realism, poetry, and children's books. He lived in ...

. The plot involves a

marzipan pig The marzipan pig is a traditional German, Dutch, Flemish and Scandinavian confectionery consisting of marzipan shaped as a pig. During Jul in Norway and Sweden, a tradition is to eat a rice porridge known as risgrøt (risgrynsgröt in Swed ...

that has somehow fallen behind a couch.

Plot summary

The pig laments being forgotten and as dust begins to cover him, he remains hopeful about someone discovering him. When he is eventually found (and eaten) by a mouse, parts of his personality are transferred to the mouse. The mouse in turn, falls in love with a nearby grandfather clock and comes to visit each night. The clock, of course, cannot reciprocate the mouse's love. One night the mouse leaves never to come back. The clock suddenly feels the loss and desperately awaits her return, finally knowing both tight loneliness and cold emptiness. Alas, she does not come back and when he is next wound up, his spring breaks. The mouse, unbeknownst to the clock, has been eaten by an owl that falls in love with a lighted taxi meter and dances for rides. Where the mouse was eaten, a little pink flower grows up. A bee drinks the flower's nectar and shows its affection to a dying

hibiscus ''Hibiscus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The genus is quite large, comprising several hundred species that are native to warm temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. Member species ...

flower. A rather snooty white mouse thinks she'd make a better hibiscus and uses the dead petals to make a dress. Then, trying to hang on the plant, she falls into a postman's bag and is thrown back to the owl. Back at the house, she finds a package with a new marzipan pig - one without any knowledge of love or loneliness. The mouse eats the new marzipan pig and falls asleep. The little boy who lives in the house opens the package (it is his birthday) and finds the mouse who escapes back into its hole. The boy tells his mother that he saw a mouse in a pink dress, though his mother never believes him. This time, the mouse is not eaten by the owl, but instead dances outside in the moonlight.

Animated version

The story has been adapted in an animated television film, produced and directed by

Michael Sporn Michael Sporn (April 23, 1946 – January 19, 2014) was an American animator who founded his New York City-based company, Michael Sporn Animation in 1980, and produced and directed numerous animated TV specials and short spots. Sporn was nominat ...

. The adaptation was animated by Tissa David and narrated by

Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London ...

. The half-hour special premiered on HBO on November 5, 1990, as part of their ''

HBO Storybook Musicals ''HBO Storybook Musicals'' is a series of television specials that aired on HBO, combining animation that is true to the original storybook's illustrations, plus high-spirited songs from musical songwriters. The specials have also aired on HBO Fam ...

'' series.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marzipan Pig, The 1986 children's books American children's books American picture books British children's books British picture books Marzipan Children's books adapted into films English-language books Books about pigs Fictional owls Books about mice and rats Books by Russell Hoban Jonathan Cape books