Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Book Review: The Three Little Pigs


The Three Little Pigs [Book]

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Marshall, James. 1989. THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. New York: Dial Books. ISBN: 0803705948

2. PLOT SUMMARY: 

In this story, three little pigs set off and leave home for the first time. The first little pig meets a man with a cart of straw and decides to build a house out of straw. The big bad wolf discovers the little pig in his straw house and demands the pig to let him in. When the pig says no, the wolf then blows his house down and eats the pig. The second little pig finds a man selling sticks and decides to build his house out of sticks. The big bad wolf, who is still hungry, finds the little pig and asks him to let him in. The second little pig says no and the wolf blows the pig's house down and eats him for a meal.

The third little pig, who is much wiser, decides to build his house out of bricks because they are strong and sturdy. When the wolf finds the third little pig and asks to come in, the pig replies that he is too busy. The wolf does not like hearing this, so he decides to meet up with the pig the next day at a specified time to get turnips. The wise pig decides to get up early and go without the wolf, which only infuriates the wolf even more. The wolf continues to set up appointments with the pig, and the pig keeps on getting away. At the end, the wolf loses his temper and follows the pig home to tell him that he is now going to eat the pig for dinner. As the wolf climbs onto the pig's house, the little pig puts an iron pot under the fireplace for the wolf to fall into. Once the wolf falls down the chimney, he ends up becoming the pig's meal instead. 

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

Throughout this story, the reader learns a lesson from the three pigs. The lesson being that you must be clever and thoughtful, in order to survive. This is why the third little pig, who built a house out of bricks, was able to live at the end of the story. The main characters, the big bad wolf and the third little pig, were very strong characters and easily fit the roles of the protagonist and the antagonist. The pig and wolf's repeated sayings of, “no, no, no not by the hair of my chinny chin chin” and “then I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in” are fun for everyone to chime in on.

Marshall’s colorful and detailed pictures are sure to capture the reader’s attention. The illustrations are funny and have many “laugh out loud” moments, especially when you see the little pigs' bottoms being blown into the air by the wolf.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS:

KIRKUS REVIEW: “A delightfully witty rendition, honoring the old tale while giving it a fresh new look.”

COOPERATIVE CHILDREN’S BOOK CENTER review: “A solid addition to Marshall's lighthearted sequence of picture book folklore including GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS (1988) and RED RIDING HOOD (1987).”

5. CONNECTIONS: 

*Other variants of The Three Little Pigs:
Galdone, Paul. THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. ISBN: 9780547370200
Sierra, Judith. TO TELL THE TRUTH, B.B. WOLF. Ill. by Otto Siebold. ISBN: 9780375856204
Eric Kimmel. THE THREE LITTLE TAMALES. Ill. By Valeria Docampo. ISBN: 9780761455196


*This story would be a great book for storytelling. The repeated lines are sure to involve the entire audience.

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