A review by severina2001
Happily Ever Esther: Two Men, a Wonder Pig, and Their Life-Changing Mission to Give Animals a Home by Caprice Crane, Steve Jenkins, Derek Walter

5.0

In this sequel to Esther the Wonder Pig, follow Esther and her two dads as they move to a farm and start a sanctuary for farmed animals.

I love Esther, who I've been following on social media for quite a few years now. She was taken in by a couple who were told she was a "mini-pig". Nope. Esther grew to be a 600+ lb farm pig, and her influence on her two dads, Steve and Derek, has been immense. They turned vegan, sold their small home, crowdfunded to purchase an old farm, and moved there to begin a sanctuary. What started with Esther (who lives in their house, as she should) has now grown to close to 100 animals. This book shares the first two years or so of their move to the country as they learn how to take care of their growing brood. There are laughs, breakouts, worries and triumphs, and they face them all with kindness. Steve is a master storyteller who peppers his anecdotes with little humorous asides.

I have both Esther's books on Kindle, but I actually listened to this one. On Esther's YouTube channel, there are videos of Steve reading both books aloud while lounging against Esther, as Cornelius the turkey and Phil the dog wander about as well. Sometimes there is even a glimpse of Dolores the cat. It was a wonderful way to re-experience the story.

For more information:
Esther's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/user/estherthewonderpig/videos
Esther's website: https://www.estherthewonderpig.com/
Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary: https://www.happilyeveresther.ca/