The Three Little Pigs

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Scieszka, Jon. 1989. THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. Ill. by Lane Smith. New York, NY: Penguin Group. ISBN 0670827592.

PLOT SUMMARY
This is the story of The Three Little Pigs, but not the story that most people know. It is told by the other party, otherwise known as the Big Bad Wolf. However, according to Al Wolf the original story got it all wrong. Al Wolf tells the readers how everything is just a big misunderstanding. He is not the terrible wolf that everyone thinks he is, but he is simply a wolf who wanted to make a cake for his grandmother while he suffered from a cold.  

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Scienszka’s book is not your average fairy tale of The Three Little Pigs it is instead a fractured fairy tale featuring the wolf as the main character rather than the pigs as the original story does. It is a parody of the original traditional tale. I like that the book encourages children to think about different points of view. There are two sides to every story and things are not always what they seem to be, depending on whose side you are listening to. The illustrations are very unique and eye catching. The reader should be sure to watch for the details that Smith has added to the pages. The illustrator also demonstrates some satire, one of the pages in particular stood out to me. The illustration is after the wolf has sneezed down the second pig’s house and shows the pig’s rump in the air with the proper eating utensils on both sides, which came from the sticks that made up his house.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
"Designed with uncommon flair," said PW, this "gaily newfangled version of the classic tale" takes sides with the villain. "Imaginative watercolors eschew realism, further updating the tale." – Publishers Weekly

"It's the type of book that older kids (and adults) will find very funny." – School Library Journal:

Honors

ALA Notable Children’s Books

Best Book of the Year - School Library Journal

Best Book of the Year - The New York Times

Best Book of the Year - Publishers Weekly

CONNECTIONS
A unit which covered many different versions of the Three Little Pigs would be a great way to study folktale variants. First read a more traditional version of the story and then read a non-traditional version and compare and contrast the two. This would be a great way to study points of view and critical analysis.
 

Jon Scieszka's Website

Lesson Plans

Scholastic Classroom Activities

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

The Frog Prince Continued