The Three Pigs

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Wiesner, David. 2001. The Three Pigs. Ill by David Weisner. New York, New York. Clarion:

ISBN 0618007016

PLOT SUMMARY

In this version of The Three Little Pigs, the main characters are the same. The three pigs live on their own and a wolf sets his sights on his next meal. As the classic tale goes, the wolf threatens, “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in.” True to his word, the first two houses get destroyed. Rather than being eaten, the pigs manage to escape not only the wolf, but the story itself. Using a page of their story, they make a paper airplane and find their way into other stories such as Hey Diddle Diddle and Dragon and the Golden Rose. As they encounter other characters, they help them escape the pages of their story too. Finally, recognizing the page with the third pig’s brick house, they decide to return home, with their new friends in tow. The story picks up where it left off, with the wolf banging on the door of the third pig. In a twist, one of the pigs’ new friends answers the door, leaving the wolf to rethink his plan and climb down the chimney. By the end of the story, the wolf is defeated and the myriad of storybook characters celebrate.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This tale is recognizable with its repeated phrases such as: “Little pig, little pig, let me come in” and, “Not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin.” The plot elements in the beginning are predictable for anyone familiar with the original story, however, that’s where they similarities stop. The setting is torn out of the pages of other folktales. Some illustrations are straight forward in their details. For example, each pig’s house is as we remember it. Before the third house, the pages crumple and blow away through the white backgrounds of the next few pages. The pigs no longer have cartoon-like looks. They become realistically drawn. We even catch glimpses of the wolf’s expressions as he is crumpled and tossed around with the page. When the pigs enter Hey Diddle Diddle, they become cartoonish again, as they fit against the childish cartoon characters in the story. The light pastels and bright colors add to the childish drawings. On the other hand, the artwork for The Dragon and the Rose is just outlines, as if the artist didn’t complete his sketches. When they “rescue” the dragon from the pages, he becomes beautifully detailed and colorful. Once the characters return to the pages of The Three Little Pigs, they become cartoons again. The illustrations extend the story significantly, and add a modern twist.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

*Caldecott Medal winner

Starred review in Horn Book Guide: “In this postmodern interpretation, the style of the artwork shifts back and forth a few times, as Weisner explores different realities within the book’s pages.”

CONNECTIONS

*Discuss character traits as you read the text. Students can list textual evidence for the traits they list.

*Other folktales for teaching character traits:

Stevens, Janet. The Tortoise and the Hare: An Aesop Fable. ISBN 0823405648

Paxton, Tom. The Ant and the Grasshopper: An Aesop Fable. ISBN 0673757528