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.

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

Bibliography:
Henkes, Kevin. 2004. Kitten's First Full Moon. by Kevin Henkes. Greenwillow Books. ISBN 9780060588298

Plot Summary:
Kevin Henkes brings us a wonderful story of a callow and determined kitten that is experiencing her very first full moon. Unfortunately for Kitten, she thinks the moon is actually a large, tasty bowl of milk that she simply must try! Poor kitten does her best to stretch out her tongue and taste the moon, but ends up tasting a nasty bug instead. Kitten’s bad luck continues as she manages to fall down and get hurt while desperately trying to taste the bowl of milk in the sky. Eventually poor kitten is fooled by the moon’s reflection in the pond (she thinks the reflection is a bigger bowl of milk) and tumbles into the water. Feeling sad and defeated Kitten casts her efforts aside and decides to go back to the comfort of her home.When she finally reaches home Kitten is delighted to see that there is a bowl of milk waiting on the porch, just for her.  

Critical Analysis:
Henkes’s simple use of black and white illustrations does a fantastic job of expressing that the kitten’s journey happened at night under the glow of the moon's light. The black and white pictures pair perfectly with the storyline as they are both simple, but effective. Additionally, the illustrations even accurately portray realistic, cat-like behaviors. These behaviors are evident when Henkes writes of Kitten wriggling her rear end before pouncing towards the milk in the sky. At times, this movement can be seen in nature just before a cat lunges after its prey.

The choice of words Henkes used in the story is easy for early readers to read or for children to follow along with. The text is also easily located since it has been typed in a bold font. The bold font temporarily draws the reader away from the artwork and back to the story itself.

This book is recommended for children ages 2 and up.

Review Excerpt(s):

• Caldecott Medal (2005)
• New York Times "Children's Best Sellers List" (2005)
• Starred Review (2004) in Booklist: "Henkes creates another winner in this simple, charming story" 
• Starred Review (2004) in School Library Journal: "an irresistable offering from the multifaceted Henkes."
• Number 25 on School Library Journal's "Top 100 Picture Books" list

Connections:

• Pair this title with other great favorites such as:
            Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag 
            Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle
            When Cats Dream by Dav Pilkey
• Print out color sheets and hand them out for children to take home.
• Masks can be made using construction paper and popsicle sticks, while the moon can be crafted from a white paper plate.