THE THREE PIGS

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Wiesner, David. 2001. THE THREE PIGS. Ill. by David Wiesner. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 0618007016

      2. PLOT SUMMARY

In this version of THE THREE PIGS, Wiesner takes an unexpected approach to the traditional tale. The story begins like most versions, with the first two pigs unsuccessfully building their homes from sticks and straw. However, that is where the traditional plot ends. The three pigs gather at the brick house, but when the wolf begins to huff and puff, the actual text and illustrations are blown out of place. This mishap leads the pigs into a world full of pages from popular storybooks. Along the way the pigs meet several other characters from popular children's books. In the end, the pigs return with their new friends and live safely in the house of brick.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Wiesner creates a unique retelling of the traditional story of THE THREE PIGS by including characters from other folktales and nursery rhymes. The plot lacks some of the clarity that is characteristic of folktales because the reader almost gets a sense of being lost in the storybook world along with the pigs. Customary diction, such as "the wolf huffed, and he puffed…," used to describe the wolf's behavior helps this version remain grounded in the original tale. The pig characters are quite comical in Wiesner's version, making this a fresh read. The use of speech bubbles allow each pig to have a turn contributing to the comic relief, such as, "Hey! He blew me right out of the story!" The theme of good defeating evil is highlighted when the pigs are able to rescue characters from other tales from their own demise.The cat encountered by the pigs in the nursery rhyme HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE conveys this theme, and confirms the idea of living happily ever after when he states, "I think we're going to like it here."

Wiesner uses watercolors and pencil to create the illustrations. Muted colors make for calming illustrations in a somewhat chaotic storyline. The beginning and ending of the book is set up in a series of rectangular boxes similar to a graphic novel. These boxes tend to house the text and illustrations one would find in a more traditional version of THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. However, the supplemental text and illustrations outside of these boxes contribute to the revised version as told by Wiesner.  As the story progresses, the actual text and illustrations become jumbled.The pigs even turn one page into a paper airplane and fly away into the world of storybooks. A dramatic use of white space on several pages gives the reader a sense of flying far away into another land. This unique method of distorting the illustrations and text contributes to the originality of this book. 

Wiesner uses distinct styles to illustrate the visits to other books inside of this book. For example, he uses only a black and white sketch to illustrate the pages from the story about the slaying of the dragon. In contrast, the pages dedicated to the nursery rhyme characters use brighter colors and cartoon style illustrations to convey a sense of fantasy. This variety in illustrations helps hold the reader captive throughout the duration of the book.

4. PERSONAL RESPONSE: STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

The use of a story within a story technique proves to be a strength of this book because it livens up a traditional story that has been heard multiple times. Children are likely to enjoy the whimsical nature of this book that allows the pigs to sail off into a storybook world. One weakness I perceived was the odd placement of text. Although having letters or entire words falling off of a page provides an interesting perspective, I found it to be slightly frustrating as I was reading the book. At times I felt as though it was impossible for me to read important text thoroughly. I can imagine this frustration would be intensified for a child.

5. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

"…when the wolf huffs and puffs, he not only blows down the pigs’ wood and straw houses, but also blows the pigs right out of the story and into a parallel story structure" (KIRKUS REVIEWS)

"As readers have come to expect from the inventive works of Wiesner, nothing is ever quite as it seems in his picture books." (PUBLISHERS WEEKLY)

"Witty dialogue and physical comedy abound in this inspired retelling of a familiar favorite." (SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL)

6. CONNECTIONS

*Read THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS (ISBN 0140544518). Students can compare and contrast the two versions of the original tale.

*Students can work in collaborative groups to choose two folktales to merge into one story. Students will create a plot that allows the characters to meet just as Wiesner did in THE THREE PIGS.

*Locate or create a reader's theater script that can be used for a retelling of this story.