The Tale of Pigling Bland

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The Tale of Pigling Bland is a book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter. It was first published in 1913.

An animated adaptation of the story was featured on The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends in 1992.

The story is of Pigling Bland and his brother Alexander who are forced to go to market because there isn't enough food to feed all the hungry piglets. Pigling Bland is very sensible but Alexander promptly gets into trouble by losing his papers and getting taken away by the police. Pigling tries to find his brother but ends up getting lost in the woods and has to spend the night in a stranger's chicken coop. He is found in the morning by a gruff farmer who allows him to stay, but Pigling is not sure the farmer is trustworthy. His fears are quickly confirmed when he discovers the farmer has a second pig in his house whom he intends to turn into bacon and ham. The second pig, a beautiful black pig named Pig Wig, suggests they should run away in the morning so they won't be sold, or worse, eaten. The pair sneak off, narrowly escape capture and finally, happily dance over the hills, celebrating their newfound freedom.