From the Utopia of "Charlotte's Web" to the Dystopia of "The Peppermint Pig"

"Charlotte's Web" (1952) is a classic children's book by E.B.White. In it, Wilbur, the runt in a litter of pigs is about to be killed, when the daughter of the house Fern, impassionately pleads for his life & succeeds. She looks after him & later after he is sold to Fern's uncle, also regularly visits him. But he is to be ultimately converted to pork, which he doesn't want. Charlotte, a spider in Wllbur's new home, hits upon an ingenious plan to save his life. She is so successful that Wilbur is assured a natural end.

"The Peppermint Pig" (1975) by Nina Bawden, also begins with a runt of a litter of pigs, Johnnie, bought by a woman. Her children love him & he becomes the center of the family. He grows big & fat (& here comes the crunch), & heartlessly sold to the butcher. The children are told it is the fate of all pigs. Shockingly, this book has also been given a children's book award. But many reviewers are enraged with the dystopian ending of a so-called children's book.