Lisa Allen/staff photo
Morten Nilsen will be reading from his new book, “Snyder: The Pig’s Tale,” at Duvall Books on Saturday at 2 p.m.

“There once was a pig from Duvall,
Who, when young, was really quite small.
He was fed from a flask,
But he took on the task
Of a poet who stands very tall.”
-Snyder

Most of us, at one time or another, have experienced that uncomfortable feeling when we think we don’t quite “fit in.”

Yet we tend to adapt quickly. Just ask any kid on their first day of kindergarten.

But what if we were suddenly thrust into a world where we looked totally different from everyone else, perhaps we were even a different species, but could still communicate. What would life be like then? And how would we cope?

Duvall author Morten Nilsen, in his new book, “Snyder: The Pig’s Tale,” deals with that very scenario.

“Snyder the pig, who speaks English, is the ultimate outsider,” says Nilsen. “He must learn to make his way in the human world.”

It helps, of course, that the plucky little pig has a special talent – he speaks in rhyme and can create a limerick at the drop of a hat. Left to fend for himself at the Pike Place Market, he hooks up with a street performer who appreciates and encourages his talents. As time goes on, he grows from being fearful to experiencing a feeling of power when he sees he can capture the attention of an audience.

“It’s like a romantic poet’s life,” says Nilsen. “It’s really an adult story masquerading as a child’s book.”

Nilsen, 62, was actually living in Russia when he began crafting the tale. But because he had visited Duvall numerous times during the ’70s and fell in love with the town, he concluded that was where Snyder should be born.

And as a former resident of Queen Anne, he was able to draw upon his memories of the Pike Place Market and the original Starbucks, along with the colorful mix of those who frequent the place, to create the perfect venue for Snyder’s new life.

“The story began to happen when I was trading limericks with a friend,” says Nilsen. “I started to tell them from a pig’s point of view and it all began to gel in my head.”

It was his wife, Olga, who encouraged him to publish the story. Embellished with delightful drawings done by Yuri Osenchakov, an artist friend in St. Petersburg, Russia, Nilsen’s first book is a joy to read, and made extra special with the local touches.

The tale begins on that Duvall farm where Snyder comes into the world as the runt of the litter. Taken to the house for special care, he was very much loved by the farmer’s two daughters. It was there he learned to speak. But as the specter of the slaughterhouse loomed, the girls, frightened for Snyder’s life, hid him in the farm truck headed for the Pike Place Market, where they helped him escape. He was on his own only briefly when he met Olivia, a musician.

“The pig develops his career at the Pike Place Market,” says Nilsen. “He makes a bunch of friends – one hurts him deeply; he learns about human relationships – some are good, some are not, but you have to keep going.”

True to the old adage, “If one door closes, another opens,” Snyder, after being betrayed by the first person he trusted in his new life, gets an invitation from another musician to go with her to Los Angeles. With the cold of winter approaching, a promise of warmer weather seals the deal.

So Snyder soldiers on, conquering more fears of the unknown as he “bravely starts out for L.A.,” said Nilsen.

As the book ends on that uncertainty, the reader knows there must be more coming.

“Snyder will have more adventures,” assures Nilsen. “There will be at least three more books.”

Duvall author Morten Nilsen will read from his new children’s book, “Snyder: The Pig’s Tale,” the story of a young pig who escapes from the farm to become a poet and street performer at Seattle’s Pike Place Market, at 2 p.m., April 19 at Duvall Books, 15635 Main Street.