Book Review: THE THREE PIGS by David Wiesner

Image source:

Books in Print: http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2125/DetailedView.aspx?hreciid=|9003244|6888098&mc=USA

Wiesner, David. (2001). The Three Pigs. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN  9780618007011

                The story The Three Pigs by Caldecott medalist (2002) David Wiesner delivers a magical version of the traditional tale of The Three Pigs. This clever beast tale introduces three pigs who avoid the big, bad wolf by literally exiting the story. While the story is being told, the pigs make separate commentary.  Through the illustrations and text, we see the wolf is unaware of what is taking place. Good triumphs over evil by leaving the story. Pages are left blank, and leave the reader wondering about the adventure. Although the pigs have indeed been threatened by the wolf, there is a sense of humor and comic nature to the words and facial expressions of the pigs.

                In an almost eerie fashion, one page is a close-up of one pig that appears to have “seen” the reader of the story. This adds to the supernatural atmosphere of the tale. The three pigs visit the classic nursery rhyme The Cat and the Fiddle, and the cat escapes his story and joins the pigs. The language of the story is in simple phrases, but when they come across a dragon he speaks in Old English style.  Children of all ages will enjoy the twists and turns of this tale that ends in a happy, albeit peculiar fashion.  The letters of the end of the story are sprinkled about the pages, as if a typewriter had exploded!

                Additional awards for this wonderful story include American Library Association Notable Books for Children (2001), ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Award (2002), and School Library Journal Best Books of the Year (2001). Adults and children can appreciate the story, although young children will not quite grasp the nuances of meaning included in some of the comments. A children's activity may include creating a paper airplane, just as the pigs did in the story. Using the practice of narrative skill, they can once again tell how the pigs went flying on their own paper plane. As commented in a School Library Journal review by Wendy Lukehart, "Wiesner has proven that pigs can indeed fly." (Books in Print, 2001).

References:

Books in Print (via TWU Databases). Accessed September 19, 2013.         http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2125/DetailedView.aspx?hreciid=|9003244|6888098&mc=USA

Wiesner, David. (2001). The Three Pigs. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN  9780618007011