New children’s book is inspired by farm life north of the city

By Lethbridge Herald on March 17, 2026.

Submitted photo

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman

Lethbridge Herald

Lethbridge born author Ryan Uytdewilligen has written a book inspired by his early farm life in the Coaldale area and the pigs he took care of for his 4H club. 

“I grew up as an only child and it seemed evident that farming would be my future. My dad grew sugar beets, pinto beans and all the things that people grow in the Lethbridge area as well as pigs, but it was never my interest,” said Uytdewilligen. 

Instead, he said he wanted to be an actor, but he did not have many opportunities growing up in a farm. 

“I was a 4H member in the pig club. I’d have to take care of pigs, raise them, and show them in a competition, and even though I enjoyed doing it and learned a lot, acting was always my biggest thing,” said Uytdewilligen. 

He said his mom would always tease him saying, “who are you going to perform for, your pigs? because you don’t really have much of an audience out there.” 

When talking about the book, Uytdewilligen said “The Next Big Pigs” is about a boy named Mikey, a farm kid who doesn’t want to farm. He wants to perform. But as an only child living in an isolated acreage, he has no one to talk to let alone perform for. Life is lonely until the day Mikey’s parents give him three pigs to care for and raise.

“As Mikey soon finds out, these are no ordinary pigs. Humphrey, Bianca, and Moo can talk, dance, and put on show. Life on the farm transforms into a rehearsal space as Mikey and the pigs get ready for the big time. Broadway here they come,” said Uytdewilligen. 

He said the book showcases an adventure that will encourage young readers to find their voice and pursue their talents. 

“It’s loosely inspired by my experiences growing up on a Lethbridge-area pig farm, and how I did not want to be a pig farmer. I think this will be a subject that resonates with readers,” said Uytdewilligen. 

He said that even though he does not make any explicit references to Coaldale. Lethbridge or the area, he does mention the 4H club, and the fact that the pigs travelled through the prairies when they are trying to get to New York for their Broadway debut. 

“I would say this book is for young early readers between 6 years old to 9 years old. It’s a chapter book. There are some fun illustrations in the book, but it’s still relatively long. I think it’s about 180 pages,” said Uytdewilligen.

Uytdewilligen shared that he has always wanted to write, just as much as he wanted to act and said he wrote for fun when he was younger. 

“I studied broadcasting journalism at Lethbridge College, and then I moved to Vancouver and studied screenwriting. Telling stories is something that I have always loved to do,” said Uytdewilligen. 

He said he has written books in a few different genres, including fiction, non-fiction, and history books.  

“One of my big history books was The History of Lethbridge,” said Uytdewilligen. 

“The Next Big Pigs” releases on March 31, published through Heritage House Press and Uytdewilligen will be doing a book signing at Analog Books on April 11.