The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!

Scieszka, J. (1989). The true story of the 3 little pigs. New York, NY: Viking Penguin.           

 

 

            In this entertaining children’s story, Alexander T. Wolf, better known in the literature world as the “Big Bad Wolf”, shares his side of the popular Three Little Pigs tale many of us have read and love. The story begins with A. Wolf running out of sugar while making his Granny a birthday cake. He walks the reader through what happens as he visits each of the three little pig’s homes asking to borrow the cup of sugar he so desperately needs. He also wants the reader to believe that he was not huffing and puffing as we are commonly told, but in fact had to sneeze due to a terrible cold. A. Wolf does not deny eating the little pigs but defends his decision and questions what the reader would do in his shoes. The decision is yours, who do you believe?

          As you can see in the images below, simplicity in the illustrations is present throughout the work. The illustrator, Lane Smith chose to utilize dull and neutral colors. I believe this allows the reader to focus on the story and creates a calming mood. To complement the argument being made, throughout the illustrations A. Wolf is portrayed as a favorable character with a suit, bow tie, and spectacles across his nose.



 

            The visual element of line also seems to be relevant in Smith’s illustrations.  As the straw lays blown all over the ground around the first little pig or the sneeze coming from the wolf’s mouth as he is trying to break down the third little pig’s door. Lines are being used to portray two very different emotions in these examples.

 

 

 

This is a book I would definitely recommend reading for not only the enjoyment but also because of all the opportunities it provides for reading instruction. One activity teachers could use this book for is to discuss point of view and how it can change a story. Another activity would be to compare and contrast using Venn diagrams the many versions of the tale of The Three Little Pigs. The most engaging activity I was able to think of for using this book in the classroom is to have older students use it as a springboard for a debate. The debate would be made up of two sides, one in defense of A. Wolf and the other for the pigs.

Common Core State Standards connections for 2^nd grade would include:

·         CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.6 Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.

·         CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.9 Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.

Big Questions to ask students:

·         When was a time you were asked to share your point of view on something you experienced? Were you able to convenience the person listening that your side was the truth? If so how? If not how did you feel?

·         Do you believe A. Wolf or The Three Little Pigs? Why?