Module 3 - The Three Pigs

Cover Art Retrieved From the book's entry at Amazon.com

 

Bibliography

Wiesner, D. (2001). The Three Pigs.  New York: Clarion Books.

Summary

Three little pigs set out to build their houses.  One pig builds a house of straw; the second pig builds a house made out of wood; and the third pig builds a house made out of brick.  Just like in the traditional fairy tale, this story has a mean wolf that goes from house to house then huffs and puffs to blow the houses down.  The wolf doesn’t eat any of the pigs though because they escape from the story, taking pages with them.  Together they go on an adventure within the pages of other fairytales where they meet the cat with the fiddle, the cow that jumped over the moon, and a dragon before returning to the brick house.

My Impressions

This story takes the fractured fairytale genre to a new level.  In my opinion, I feel that it may be too disjointed for preschoolers to follow but would be a great read for older children, especially if they know the traditional story.  I also feel that Weisner’s multiple styles of illustration is what makes this story so great.

Reviews/Awards

• With this inventive retelling, Caldecott Medalist Wiesner ("Tuesday", 1991) plays with literary conventions in a manner not seen since Scieszka's "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales "(1993). Kirkus from Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2001 (Vol. 69, No. 7)

• Wiesner has created a funny, wildly imagined tale that encourages kids to leap beyond the familiar, to think critically about conventional stories and illustration, and perhaps to flex their imaginations and create wonderfully subversive versions of their own stories.

• ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Award, 2002

• Irma S. and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 2001

Suggested Activities

This book would make a wonderful introduction to other fractured fairy tales.  After reading this book to children within either a public or a school library setting, the librarian, or teacher could prompt students to find other nontraditional versions of the three little pigs.