The+True+Story+of+the+3+Little+Pigs

__ The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs __



__ Bibliographical Data __ Author: Jon Scieszka Illustrator: Lane Smith Publisher: Puffin Format: Paperback ISBN: ISBN-10: 0140544518 ISBN: ISBN-13: 978-0140544510 Genre: Folk Tale Reader’s Age: 5-8

__ Summary __ A spoof on the original 3 Little Pigs, this story is depicted from the Wolf’s point of view. Alexander T. Wolf has a cold, yet he still has the heart to make a cake for his sweet old Granny. However, Alex is out of sugar! Thinking his neighbors can help, he approaches each of their houses hoping from some complimentary sugar from his hospitable neighbors. Yet at every house, he manages to destroy the homes and pigs with one huge sneeze. At the last house, the brick house pig goes as far as insulting Alex’s grandmother. In a fit of rage, the police target him as a “Big Bad Wolf” when in reality it was all a big misunderstanding.

__ Review __ This book is great for children of all ages. It takes a classic folktale and twists it into a new type of story. Indeed, there is always a different side to every story and this is no different. The poor, sick wolf would simply like to make a cake for his dear grandmother! Can’t anyone understand that? He explains his story in a sympathetic and reasonable way, making readers question if he actually was as bad as he was made out to be. Although can get a bit graphic for the younger children (the eating of the pigs once he has destroyed their houses and killed them), it is an amusing and entertaining story!

__ Analysis of Literary Elements __ The character development is the main focus of this story. The classical Three Little Pigs, are transformed from innocent, suckling swines, into rude and obnoxious neighbors. The Big Bad Wolf that every child fears, in reality does not “huff and puff and blow the house down” but cannot keep himself from sneezing due to a cold! Jon Scieszka allows the characters to be revealed through their actions. The Wolf is baking a cake for his grandmother and simply needs sugar. The three brother pigs, of course, deny him the pleasure of making his grandmother happy by ignoring him, turning him away, and yelling at him. The twist on the classical story is perfect to match it’s message: there are always two sides to every story. Now, readers know the truth of the three little pigs, and the accidental “crime” the wolf committed.

__ Author’s Biography __ Jon Scieszka was born on September 8, 1954 in Flint, Michigan. A graduate of Columbia University, Scieszka worked in a variety of capacities: teaching at an elementary school (mostly second grade), writing for magazines, painting apartments, and working as a carpenter and lifeguard. While pursuing his MFA at Columbia in New York, Scieszka painted apartments. He went on to teach 1st-8th grade at the Day School (currently the Trevor Day School) for ten years. In 1991 he started writing and touring full-time which he still does today. Scieszka is also the founder of [|Guys Read], a web-based literacy program for boys whose mission is “to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers.”