Sesse Koivisto

A little wild forest pig named Alfred discovers that being the runt of his litter is no fun in this delightful Finnish picture-book, originally published as Ville Villisian tarina. With three sisters and four brothers, all of whom are stronger than he, our porcine hero finds himself constantly pushed aside at feeding time, growing ever weaker as the days pass. Ridiculed by his siblings for his spindly appearance, Alfred takes to wandering off on his own, and is eventually left behind when his family must flee a hunter. Finding an adoptive mother in a domestic sow who is nursing her own brood, Alfred eventually does grow stronger, returning to his home in the woods. And when he himself is confronted with a hunter, his panic leads to unexpectedly positive results, and a new identity amongst the animals of the wild...

There are elements of The Ugly Duckling here, with Alfred being the oddball amongst his siblings (just as the duckling was), and eventually leaving the family unit to find his own way in the world. Of course, his transformation comes, not from the realization that he is not a pig, but through pure good fortune. I'm not sure there is really any message here - except perhaps, that we must all eventually strike out on our own, in order to discover who we are - but that scarcely mattered, as the story itself is engaging. Alfred is a winsome little hero, and the artwork, done by Anu Vanas, is appealing. I'm struggling to say just why it is that I enjoyed Alfred the Small so much, why I gave it four stars ("really liked it") as opposed to three ("liked it"), and I think it comes down to finding the entire package - story, artwork, and the interaction of the two - so pleasing. Recommended to younger children who enjoy animal stories.… (mere)