Ace: The Very Important Pig

by Dick King-Smith, Lynette Hemmant (Illustrator)

Meet Ace, Babe's great-grandson, who also gets a new cover from Knopf Paperbacks this season. "
A Horn Book Fanfare Honor Book
An IRA/CBC Children's Choice
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year.  

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Young Adult, Dogs

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Dick King-Smith was born and raised in Gloucestershire, England, surrounded by pet animals. After twenty years as a farmer, he turned to teaching and then to writing children's books.

Dick writes mostly about animals: farmyard fantasy, as he likes to call it, often about pigs, his special favorites. He enjoys writing for children, meeting the children who read his books, and knowing that they get enjoyment from what he does.

Among his well-loved books is Babe, The Gallant Pig, which was recently made into a major motion picture, and was nominated for an Academy Award.

Dick lived with his wife in a small 17th-century cottage, about three miles from the house where he was born.

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

You gotta love pigs and nobody does it better like Dick King-Smith. Another lovable pig story for children that anybody can enjoy.
I love the style of King-Smith, clever animals who against all odds triumph in their endeavors.

[Deity World · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it a book for all animal lovers and in my opinion a much better book than Babe: The Gallant Pig who happened to be Aces great grandfather

[Miles Franklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable.

[Lisa Bland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a young pig called Ace living on a farm with Farmer Tubbs. Ace gets his name from the birth mark on his left hand side which looks like an ace of clubs.
Ace discovers from very young that he is able to understand the Queens English as well as communicating with the other animals living on the farm. Farmer Tubbs realises that Ace is no ordinary pig and is different from the rest of the animals because he can see that Ace understands him. They become very fond of each other and the trust between them begins to grow. Ace is eventually allowed to come into Farmer Tubbs farm house and he learns how to use the TV and sits for hours watching it whilst Farmer Tubbs is out doing his chores. Ace becomes very friendly with Farmer Tubbs' cat, Clarence and dog, Megan and he also has a friend called Nanny of whom is a goat which lives outside and sleeps in one of the stables where Ace also sleeps.

Farmer Tubbs takes Ace to the market and then to the pub with him and Ace gets drunk on beer. Once the locals here of Ace getting drunk and being able to understand Farmer Tubbs they all want to know more and even offer to buy Ace from him. The farmer refuses as he has began to love his pig.

They get a chance to appear on a famous TV show and Ace is very excited because he loves watching TV. They both get lots of publicity and at the same time remain grounded and content.

All in all this is a great book for children to read. Reading about animals from their perspective in my opinion has always been good fun and entertaining as it gives a portrayal of how animals may feel at particular moments in their lives. This teaches children that animals have feelings as well as humans and i think this is a good lesson to learn from a very young age.

I feel as though Dick King-Smith attempts to bring some level of reality to this story as well as keeping it fiction. For example, on page 74 Ace speaks about seeing an abattoir on TV and also the animals speak about where animals on a farm end up after they have been to the market. This type of information is not for the light hearted and some young children may find this upsetting. However, it does inform children of the realities of life and in my opinion children should be aware of this.

On a lighter note, the book does have some funny parts to it, for example on page 84 Ace goes to the pub with Farmer Tubbs and gets very drunk on a bucket full of beer. On the drive home, Farmer Tubbs gets pulled over by the police and breathalyzed because the police can smell alcohol and all along it is Ace who smells of beer because he has drank too much.

I would recommend this book to a year 5 or 6 pupil and if a more sensitive or younger pupil would like to read it then for a teacher to be a little more supportive if the child gets upset or wishes to ask questions.

[Ice Bear · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to my daughter, and she bought me a copy to read to my grandson. It's good to know that reading can pass down the generations.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the Sheep Pig, but it's still fun. Shorter than I remembered!

[Chance Hansen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basic and it isn't thought provoking. A very step by step path to the end. I didn't expect what I read at the beginning of this book. I don't think I've really comprehended how dark it started off.

Cover
The cover actually brought back a little bit of a memory of Arnold Ziffel from Green Acres. This cover picture is basically the entire story summed up into one image.

Story (Spoilers(If this book really has any.))
I can't get over how this book started. WOW, this book start off dark. I was in shock with almost every page in the beginning. Everything from the Mother looking forward to her piglets going to market and saying that they are going to be happy and have fun at market to how she treats Ace after his relatives have been taken to this wonderful land. Later in the future Ace watches with Ted what actually happens at Market really shook me. (personally I found this part really bizarre in a common sense standpoint.) If your animals truly understands English you don't teach him what you did to his brothers and sisters a few months ago.
I like the nods to this pig-universe/story tie-in he created.
I feel like this book does have a bit of a flat energy to it. It does have a moment or two that are decent and give a good chuckle.
I have to admit that there is a good moral about drinking and getting drunk. (I Didn't think I'd be saying that about a children's chapter book.))

[slauderdale]

A cute book with nothing offensive in it, except perhaps to smallholding country farmers of a certain place and time. Farmer Tubbs feels like a definite type, but he’s not a bad guy, and he quickly comes to be fond of Ace. The flap claims that Ace is Babe’s great-grandson, which I thought was just flap until Farmer Tubbs confirmed it in the actual narrative: “Hogget had a pig, a huge old white boar, and that boar could round up sheep just like a dog. […] And what’s more, now that I comes to think of it, that clever old boar was your great-grandfather!” Babe would be sad to know how many of his progeny have been “sent to market” since that time, but no harm comes to Ace. Perhaps the worst to be said of this book is that the stakes are not especially high, but it was a funny, quick and competently written story, and I enjoyed it.

[Ashleigh Cutler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed "Ace" more than "Babe", though the book at least hints that Babe was an ancestor of Ace. The characters were more amusing, the overall plot, or lack there off - as it is a borderline slice of life tale - more entertaining.

[Maximilian Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because I like dogs and pigs getting along with each other. In also liked this book because I like pork.

[Meera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book because its interesting.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book because it is very very well done and full of funny and interesting things

[Tam Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book when i was a kid, my mum bought it for me. I enjoyed it. Favorite novel as a kid. Read the novel over and over again. I'm gonna get it for my kid when i have one 💟

[Zack · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books when i was like 6 or something

[Bec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, hilarious, sweet. This book had me in stitches for chapters. One of DKS's best works.

[Toryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another re-read; still think King-Smith is a wonderful author!

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite DKS books. The humour is brilliant. Ted, the farmer, shines as a lovely man and as the reader I'm glad he finds companionship with Ace.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this tale about a house pig.

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 8 y.o. and I enjoyed reading this book together. King-Smith is always a good read...

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant little book with a good sense of humor, but there’s no substance to the story.

[Steph Hayward-bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved sharing this childhood favourite with my kids. I had forgotten all about him going to the pub and being pulled over by the police. Both my nine year old and 5 year old loved it.

[Kelli Oldham]

Did not finish. Lost interest

[Rhiannon Cheyenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very cute animal story that is perfect for children to read on their own or for reading together. My nephews really enjoyed Ace! And I can wait to find more books like this for them to read

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Out of 5 Stars ⭐️

Genre/Tropes ✨ children’s, animal stories, parody, fantasy, coming of age, growing up, humor

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes, if one is lucky, the elements that mixed together to produce greatness in a genetic ascendant can work the same kind of magic in one's own life. For Ace, great-grandson of the renowned sheep-pig Babe, this is exactly what happens.

Ace, unlike all of his brothers and sisters on the farm where he is raised, can understand human speech right from birth. When Farmer Tubbs absent-mindedly speaks to Ace, the pig listens and is able to comprehend the meaning of his words, and before long Tubbs notices that this one pig appears to have an intelligence unlike his siblings; he almost seems capable of answering questions asked of him, with one grunt for a "No", and two grunts for a "Yes". On the fateful day when Tubbs prepares to take the lot of pigs to market, he asks Ace a simple question: "Do you want to go to market?" When Ace grunts once, it's as simple as that, and Farmer Tubbs allows him to remain on the farm.

Over the next several months, Ace uses the advantages that he has due to his ability to understand human language to work his way into the farmer's inner circle of house pets, the animals who never have to worry about being shipped off to market if they don't produce. Farmer Tubbs grows to accept that his pig truly is unlike any other, a pig with the ability to control the television set, learn to housebreak himself, and take a strong leadership role over the cat and dog (well, the dog, at least). Ace is, without question, a "Very Important Pig", and his unique abilities eventually take him to the top of the world as a bona fide star.

Ace: The Very Important Pig isn't a book of much conflict for the main character to overcome, his rise to prominence and fame only stalled once or twice by a couple of petty issues that are quickly resolved. It's a very nice story for younger readers, though, in that it's so much fun to read, and the narrative never fails to be uplifting in a common sense sort of way, despite the fantastic events that occur. It's just a very fun, highly enjoyable book to read, a worthy sequel to Babe: The Gallant Pig, if not quite as good as that famous tome.

The one letdown for Ace seems to be the disinterest that his mother takes in him after he finagles his way out of being taken to market. Ace is a very intelligent animal, capable of wanting the type of long-term relationship with his mother that his brothers and sisters couldn't ever have sought, but his mother doesn't have the same desire for a relationship. She's used to raising pigs and then having them gone, and her mindset cannot be changed even for a miraculous son such as Ace; therefore, she turns her back on the opportunity to experience something wonderful. It's hard to have intelligence without any peer who can ever mirror it, but Ace quickly gets past whatever sadness he may have felt at being disregarded by his mother, and makes a new life of his own, one befitting a magnificent animal such as he.

Ace: The Very Important Pig is a great book for young readers, stylistically simple but filled with terrific humor and an outstanding cast of characters. I believe that it could actually be made into a very good movie, though the screenwriters would probably have to add a few points of conflict in order to make the transition successful. I would consider giving two and a half stars to this book.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

74 - 2017

Well, ternyata Ace cucu buyut-nya Babe!

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ace, seekor babi yang mengerti bahasa manusia. Awalnya Ace mengira semua hewan mengerti ucapan Farmer Tubbs, namun ternyata hanya dia yang mengerti apa yang diucapkan manusia pemilik peternakan itu. Maka Ace mulai berkomunikasi dengan Farmer Tubbs. Jika dia mengorok sekali, itu artinya 'tidak'. Jika dia mengorok dua kali, itu artinya 'iya". Ace pun melatih Farmer Tubbs untuk mengerti apa yang dia inginkan. Termasuk melengkingkan suaranya yang ebrarti dia mau makan. Yup, bukan Farmer yang melatih babi, tapi sebaliknya.

Ace pun berhasil keluar dari takdirnya untuk menjadi sosis di pasar, setelah menjadi tempat curhat si Farmer Tubbs. Sementara ibunya yang merasa Ace aneh, tidak memedulikannya lagi. Maka Ace pun dipindah kandangnya.

Kisah Ace pun makin seru saat dia ingin menonton tv, sementara menurut kambing yang tidur sekandang dengannya, Ace tidak mungkin diperbolehkan masuk ke dalam rumah. Kucing, anjing, adalah hewan penghuni rumah, namun tidak dengan babi.

Namun bukan Ace namanya, kalau tidak mencoba. Dia pun berteman dengan Clarence, si kucing, dan mendapat simpati dari hewan itu. Lalu Ace mengorek info tentang Megan, si anjing sombong yang mengaku keturunan anjing bangsawan bermerk Corgi, agar bisa mendekatinya juga.

Dengan lihay, Ace mengikuti petunjuk yang diberikan Clarence, dan Megan dengan senang hati menerima Ace yang dianggapnya sebagai salah satu penggemar beratnya.

Suatu hari, dia berhasil masuk ke rumah, nonton TV, dan setelah itu kegiatan menonton TV menjadi kegiatan rutin baginya. Ace juga belajar mengendalikan remote TV, dan menahan agar tidak mengeluarkan kotoran di dalam rumah.

Kepintaran Ace akhirnya tercium media, dan sejak insiden mabuk bir di pasar, Ace makin terkenal bahkan beberapa media memintanya untuk diwawancara di televisi!

Takdir babi untuk menjadi sosis, atau sarden (eh ada gak sarden babi?) atau menjadi kornet pun berubah menjadi Ace sang babi fenomenal yang mampu berkomunikasi dengan manusia.

Sekilas ceritanya hampir-hampir serupa sama Babe si babi juga. Tapi yang ini lebih ringan, ceritanya tentang kehidupan di peternakan, dan tidak ada konflik yang berat. Untuk bacaan santai, bolehlah..

Ada quote yang saya suka di sini. Nasehat Nanny si kambing pada Ace, saat babi itu merasakan sakit kepala yang hebat setelah minum seember bir.

"A little of what you like does you good. But you can have too much of a good thing."

Arti bebasnya: Apapun kalau kebanyakan itu nggak baik buat kesehatan :)

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published seven years after The Sheep Pig, it's very much Babe Mark II; the sheep pig even gets a mention as his great-grandfather. Anyone who has seen the movie recognises the scene between Babe--oh, excuse me, Ace--and his mother, where she talks about the market as a sort of day at the seaside.

Ace can understand every word his human owner says; how he picked up the talent is never explained, since we are repeatedly told that none of the other animals recognise more than a word or two. He decides he's going to become a pet, and get access to the house. All well and good, since this came out about the time potbellied pigs became fashionable pets (and before it was discovered that even potbellied piglets don't stay tiny forever, leading to countless abandonments). But when Babe starts to learn to read and count and understand maps from watching TV...I dunno. Ace even ends up in a TV studio, being "interviewed" by "Hester Jantzen"--a sly poke at Esther Rantzen.This book was less charming than "Babe", perhaps because it felt so similar, like the author was just trying his hand at a moneymaking remake.

[Laurian · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the Wind and the Willows Cam (4 years old) and I went to the library to see if the librarian had recommendations for similar chapter books that we could read (a chapter a night). It couldn't be too scary and talking animals seemed to be a hit. This book was the first recommendation. Cam seemed to like it especially when I did silly voices for farmer Tubs. But, when we finished earlier tonight he didn't immediately ask me to read it again like he did for the Wind and the Willows. So it was good but not great.

[Shreyanjana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is super hilarious.

SPOILERS ALERT!

It revolves around a pig in the farm who can understand English. He was just a normal pig in the pig sty reared to be sold in the market. However, when Farmer Tubbs(the man who owns the farm) realises his ability to understand humans and gives him the option to move or stay. He chooses to stay. Then follows the crazy and fun life of Ace(the pig was named Ace because of the Ace mark on his body) where he goes on to watch telly to becoming a television star himself.

[Shreyanjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is super hilarious and engaging. I read this book in a single sitting.

It revolves around a pig in the farm who can understand English. He was just a normal pig in the pig sty reared to be sold in the market. However, when Farmer Tubbs(the man who owns the farm) realises his ability to understand humans and gives him the option to move or stay. He chooses to stay. Then follows the crazy and fun life of Ace(the pig was named Ace because of the Ace mark on his body) where he goes on to watch telly to becoming a television star himself.