Module 3: Three Pigs

Book Cover:

 Book Summary:  The story begins like any other telling of the Three Little Pigs; the wolf comes to the door, there's huffing and puffing. What seems like it will be another telling of the very familiar three pigs story, is taken to the next level through creative illustrations. The story jumps right off the page and into other nursery rhymes, creating a totally new take on the classic story.

APA Reference of Book: Wiesner, D. (2001). The three pigs. New York: Clarion Books.  

Impressions:  My first impression of this book was not positive, I admittedly judged a book by its cover and found the pig faces a bit creepy. I sat down and prepared to be bored by, yet another, retelling of the story I know so well. I was totally wrong.I actually laughed out loud when the pigs ripped through the page of the story and started traipsing through newspapers and nursery rhymes. I thought this was a fantastically creative take on the classic story that was visually stunning. I particularly liked that, although wild things were happening with the illustrations, the text remained fairly true to the original.

Professional Review: 

In this Caldecott Medal-winning version of the classic tale, the pigs are not just blown out of their houses but out of their story.  The pigs interact with characters from other books, wander around in the white space between pages, and manipulate the pages of their own book – such as folding one page into a paper airplane.  Besides being a successful meta-book, The Three Pigs is also a satisfying story with its own plot, and a visual treat as well

The three pigs (Book). (2004). Book Links, 13(5), 33.

Library Uses:Since this is such a visually-dependent book it would not be my first choice to use for a story time. However, you could make a very interesting display that showcases all of the available retellings of the Three Pigs and include this book.