PIGOLOGY

Aspirationally encyclopedic, this survey covers the pig’s evolution, domestication, characteristics, adaptations, importance as a global food source, appearances in myth, and more.

Bird selects fresh facts. Pigs are resistant to snake venom. They’re as smart as dogs and capable of episodic memory—the ability to learn from past experiences. She’s forthcoming about scatological and reproductive attributes, too: Across cultures, the omnivorous pig has played a role as a household waste recycler, including of excrement. A “Facts of Life” section includes details about mating behaviors, the shape of a boar’s penis, and piglets’ growth stages. The rectum and anus figure in an anatomical illustration; Bird asserts that a “full-grown hog will produce six and a half pounds of manure a day.” She cheerfully addresses young readers: “Here’s a fact that may surprise you: pigs can swim!” Several spreads reveal the international array of meat products derived from the pig. “Everything but the Squeal” examines how collagen, bristles, skin, and even heart valves are utilized in industrial production and medicine. Pintonato’s illustrations vacillate between realistic details and fanciful tableaux. In an anthropomorphized spread about pig illnesses, several hospital beds contain pigs attended by health care workers. Additional sections include pigs in pop culture and as pets; thumbnails highlight 20 of the species’s more than 500 breeds. A table of contents is of marginal utility; the project entirely lacks indexing, documentation, or readers’ resources.

An interesting, absorbing browser.