PADRE PORKO

Senor Don Padre Porko, caballero of Old Spain, is a legendary character in Spanish folklore. He is a pig, resourceful, courtly, a bit unctuous, and gifted with remarkable powers. He teaches a dog to talk (with disastrous results), he restores a lost teapot to a bothered housewife and stray children to their frantic mother. Humans and animals alike seek the Padre's counsel in their distress, and invariably he offers a panacea for their ailments. The telling illustrations, faithful to the text, portray Porko as a gentleman with a touch of Nero Wolfe and a dash of Alexander Woollcott. The author has based his stories on old wives' tales, garnered in Spain.