Book Review for Wiesner's THE THREE PIGS

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Wiesner, David. 2001. THE THREE PIGS. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0-618-00701-6

2. PLOT SUMMARY

The beloved and often told story of the The Three Little Pigs is given an update and a unique twist in this Wiesner telling. Wiesner takes the traditional folktale for a joyous ride as the main characters exit the pages of their pastoral world and venture into the unknown and into other tales. Along the way they thwart the wolf (as always), pick up the cat and the fiddle, and rescue a dragon taking the reader along with them. In the end, the pigs and their new friends settle into a well-built abode safe from the "huff and puff" of the outside.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This modern telling of the Three Little Pigs conveys messages of teamwork, friendship, inclusion, and how to deal with bullies. It also guides readers to think outside of the normal boundaries as the characters (the pigs as well as the friends they pick up during their adventures) burst from the confines of their story panels.

Wiesner uses soft colors with realistic depictions of the pigs as the story begins on a rolling hillside. He quickly changes the reader's perspective of a normal adventure by pulling the pigs off of story panels and into the white of blank pages. As they "fold" their story (and the wolf) into an airplane for their trip, Wiesner beautifully uses depth to communicate their travel and stark pages of white to show distance and openness. The use of white and empty space allows the reader to imagine the trip the characters are taking beyond what they have previously known.

Illustrations convey much of the story in this book. The detailed expressions of the pigs as they journey are of joy and wonder. No fear or real concern are apparent as they seem to be thrilled with this new turn. They travel into the radically different illustration style of the cow that jumped over the moon and the cat and the fiddle. Wiesner changes colors and graphic style to guide the reader to this different setting with even the pigs themselves changing illustrative style. They change yet again as the main characters move into a medieval tale of knights and dragons. Here Wiesner uses black and white sketch work as the pigs rescue the dragon. Ultimately, the pigs along with their new friends, the cat and the fiddle and the dragon, return to their "home" story and to the wolf. The illustrations return to the original style including  having the new characters take on that artistic depiction. True to the original, the pigs defeat the wolf to live happily ever after.

In a last twist Wiesner has the very words and letters of the original story disrupted by the new characters only to catch them and use them in the end. This subtle reminder for the reader shows that although the story may have been beyond the ordinary, all things ended well and as they should.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

School Library Media Activities Monthly (2004)- "wildly creative version of a much beloved traditional tale"  (Carolyn S. Brodie)

School Library Journal (2001)- "The Three Pigs, breaks new ground for himself and for picture books in general" (Anita Silvey)

Amazon- "Once upon a time three pigs built three houses, out of straw, sticks, and bricks. Along came a wolf, who huffed and puffed... So, you think you know the rest? Think again."

5. CONNECTIONS

*have students review other telling of Three Little Pigs looking for the contrasting approaches of the stories
*read and compare traditional folktales with their "fractured" partners
*read Little Red Riding Hood and watch the movie Hoodwinked; have the students pair up and take a character of the story to discuss and identify similarities and differences
*have students take a traditional story and create alternate versions for themselves