Scieszka, Jon. 1989. THE TRUE STORY OF THE 3 LITTLE PIGS. Ill. by Lane Smith. New York: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN 0-590-44357-7
PLOT SUMMARY
This book provides an alternative point of view of the traditional fairy tale of THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. Readers are entertained by the Wolf's hard to believe version of what happened when he encountered the three little pigs.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The illustrations for this fractured fairy tale breathe new life into a traditional story. The wolf is represented as an intellectual with his spectacles and matter-of-fact explanation of his side. Deeply rich earth tones and muted illustrations are amplified and give action to the wolf's narrative. The comical innocence of the wolf is clear in the illustrations, while the events relating to the demise of the pigs' homes is slightly out of focus. The story is a refreshing take on the clearly misunderstood character of the wolf. Readers delight in wolf's reasoning in to why the whole situation with the pigs was just a misunderstanding and we are left with an image of poor wolf as a framed prisoner. Readers will also enjoy pondering the fate of "poor wolf." Jon Sciezka weaves a humorously entertaining fractured fairy tale that comes to life with Lane Smith's smart illustations.
REVIEW EXCERPTS/AWARDS
BOOKLIST starred review: "Jon Scieszka's The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (1989) turned the favorite porkers' story upside-down by allowing the grossly misjudged wolf to tell his side of the story. Wiesner's latest is a post-modern fantasy for young readers that takes Scieszka's fragmentation a step further: it not only breaks apart and deliciously reinvents the pigs' tale, it invites readers to step beyond the boundaries of story and picture book altogether."
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Review: "Victim for centuries of a bad press, Alexander ("You can call me Al") T. Wolf steps forward at last to give his side of the story. Trying to borrow a cup of sugar to make a cake for his dear old Granny, Al calls on his neighbors--and can he help it if two of them built such shoddy houses? A couple of sneezes, a couple of dead pigs amidst the wreckage and, well, it would be shame to let those ham dinners spoil, wouldn't it? And when the pig in the brick house makes a nasty comment about Granny, isn't it only natural to get a little steamed? It's those reporters from the Daily Pig that made Al out to be Big and Bad, that caused him to be arrested and sent to the (wait for it) Pig Pen. "I was framed," he concludes mournfully. Smith's dark tones and sometimes shadowy, indistinct shapes recall the distinctive illustrations he did for Merriam's Halloween ABC (Macmillan, 1987); the bespectacled wolf moves with a rather sinister bonelessness, and his juicy sneezes tear like thunderbolts through a dim, grainy world. It's the type of book that older kids (and adults) will find very funny."
ALA Notable Children's Book (1990)
CONNECTIONS
In sharing this book with my students, it inspired a discussion into whose side they felt was more believable. It sparked quite a debate and lead to interesting justifications in their writing. This is also an excellent story to guide point of view discussions and lessons.
In sharing this book with my students, it inspired a discussion into whose side they felt was more believable. It sparked quite a debate and lead to interesting justifications in their writing. This is also an excellent story to guide point of view discussions and lessons.
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