The Three Pigs by David Wiesner

Bibliography:
Wiesner, David. 2001. The Three Pigs. New York: Clarion Books. 9780618007011.

Plot Summary:
This version of The Three Pigs offers readers an interesting and alternative ending to the traditional story many of us know and love. Wiesner’s story starts off the same way as the traditional story goes, with the three pigs making their homes out of straw, wood and brick, but instead of being eaten up by the mean and hungry wolf, the pigs disappear behind the pages of the book! Once behind the pages, the pigs are able to visit other storybook pages and in turn are able to become part of the story they hop into. In the end, the pigs and the friends they made during their storybook adventures travel back to the story of The Three Pigs to protect the brick house from the wolf.

Critical Analysis:
It is easy to see how this book won a Caldecott Award after looking at David Wiesner’s illustrations. Each phase of the story matches the illustrations of the storybook the pigs are in. In the beginning of the story the pigs and all other illustrations are drawn simply, yet effectively with beautiful neutral and somewhat earthy tones. When the pigs ‘fall’ out of the story, they look almost life-like as you can see every little tiny hair on each of the pigs bodies. Upon entering the storybook with the nursery rhymes, the colors shift to light pastels – even the pigs change colors to match the scene! Once the pigs reach the book with the dragon in it, the pigs turn into pencil drawings. One of the most exciting parts about the illustrations happen when the pigs are halfway in and out of a page; half of their bodies match the storybook illustrations while the other half are illustrated to look realistic (the realistic illustrations occur when the pigs are in between/behind the pages).

What makes this title so exciting? The setting changes constantly as the pigs travel across all of the different storybook pages. The book is both fun and silly to read.

This title is recommended for little piggies ages 4 and up.

Review Excerpt(s):

• Caldecott Award (2002)
• Number 68 on School Library Journa's "Top 100 Picture Books" list
• School Library Journal (2001) "Not only is his narrative innovative in its postmodern construction, but it uses white space in a totally new way."
• Kirkus Reviews (2001) "Caldecott Medalist Wiesner (Tuesday, 1999) plays with literary conventions in a manner not seen since Scieszka's The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (1993)."

Connections:

·         Pair this title with other silly favorites such as:

                           Blueberries for Sal by Robert McClosky
                           If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Jofee Numeroff
                          Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
      ·         Create fun piggy masks to go along with the story.
      ·         Print out coloring pages of pigs, a wolf, a dragon or even a cat with a fiddle.