The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
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Book Reviews of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
Book Review: A Fresh and Funny Perspective
Summary: 5 Stars
"Everybody knows the story of the Three Little Pigs. Or at least they think they do. But I'll let you in on a little secret. Nobody knows the real story, because nobody has ever heard my side of the story."
This is what Alexander T. Wolf (but you can call him "Al") tells to pseudo-biographer Jon Scieszka at the start of this tale of the "real story" behind what happened between Al and that irksome triad of swine, the Three Little Pigs. Al claims that how it all got started was with "a sneeze and a cup of sugar" and things just got blown (literally) out of proportion from there.
You see, one day Al had a nasty cold that had him sneezing himself into oblivion. He was also baking a cake for his dear old granny for her birthday, ran out of sugar, so decided to go to his neighbors for help (what, there's not a corner store in Al's neck of the woods?). Those neighbors happen to be pigs and poor craftsmen at that - Al manages to knock down two of the pigs' houses (one of straw, one of sticks) with those gigantic sneezes of his. He then eats the deceased so they "don't spoil" and then moves on to the last house (made of brick) to plead for that cup of sugar he so desperately needs. The pig in the brick house denies him passage AND sugar, inciting Al's anger with a nasty little comment about his grandmother. This has Al seething and when the authorities roll up, he is sneezing uncontrollably and with great force whilst trying to break down the door. The media frenzy this creates gives Al the "Big Bad" moniker he has had to this day, a misnomer this entire story has sought to discredit.
But how are you gonna trust a wolf behind bars?
Scieszka's amusing take on the hapless villain of this oldest-of-old fairytales is just as amusing for the adult as it is for the young reader. Lane Smith's illustrations are spectacular, designing Al as the everyman (or should I say "everywolf") with a demure sweatervest, bowtie and studious-looking spectacles. What little we see of the pigs (other than their shiny rear ends paired with fork and knife) isn't nice - they are literally painted as antagonists, for we aren't meant to sympathize with them in this story.
Bottom line: This is a great children's book to own (I read it myself when I was a child and loved it), especially if you and/or your child are familiar with the original story. It will provide a fresh and funny perspective time and time again.
Book Review: A fractured fairy tale of the highest order
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the book that put Jon Scieszka on the map. He has since gone on to much recognition and acclaim, especially for The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. It also marked the start of his collaboration with illustrator Lane Smith, who subsequently wrote (and of course illustrated) his own John, Paul, George, And Ben.
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs turns the classic story on its head:
"The whole Big Bad Wolf thing is all wrong. The real story is about a sneeze and a cup of sugar."
Confusingly, multiple editions on Amazon show different reading levels. Honestly, the 4-8 range on the Puffin paperback is on the young side. It is not a question of vocabulary but of content. This is dark and wonderful in a Tim Burton sort of way. (Coincidence? Lane was Art Director for the Burton-produced James and the Giant Peach (Special Edition).) The Dutton paperback instead is 9-12, which I think is more on the mark. Children should have a certain level of maturity to appreciate this. Of course, parents can enjoy it immediately! My Scholastic paperback lists no age level. In any case the content is the same on all three.
Puffin
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
Dutton
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf (Picture Puffin)
Scholastic
The True Story of The 3 Little Pigs!
Book Review: Funny Book
Summary: 5 Stars
I read the book the true story of the Three Little
Pigs by John Scieszda, illustrated by Lane Smith.
This story is about what really happened. One day
the wolf needed sugar for his grannies birthday cake
so he went to the first Pigs house. He felt a sneeze
coming on so he sneezed and the house blew down
and he saw the pig dead as a doornail so he ate him.
The same thing happened to the second pig. Then
he went to the third pigs house and the third pig talked
about his granny, so the wolf went crazy, but he could
not blow his house down because it was made of
bricks. The police found out about the two pigs he
ate, so he went to pig jail.
I did like this book because he does not just jump
into the story. It tells why the wolf needs the sugar.
The theme is `don't judge a book by it's cover',
because the pigs didn't answer the door. The conflict
is the wolf wanted sugar and the pigs would not give
it to them, so they thought the wolf would eat them,
and they were probably a little bit nervous.
I like the illustrations because they show facial
expressions like when he had a tissue in his hand
when he was crying. This is a good book for people
who are prejudiced. I have a text to self connection,
my friend didn't do me favor, so when he asked a
favor of me, I said no.
Book Review: GREAT book for not only kids but ADULTS..trust me!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm STILL chuckling after buying this book and reading it before gifting it to my nephew Greg, 11, and Kayla, 7. And,. as with other books by Jon Scieszka, the huge problem is: I want this book for MYSELF.The bottom line is that in his version, wonderfully illstrated by Lane Smith, the Three Little Pigs is the ultimate story of SPIN CONTROL. This time, unlike in a zillion other versions, the wolf is telling HIS side of the story -- what REALLY happened. And to hear him tell his story (with all of the familiar elements and a delicious economy of words) it's all a terrible mistunderstanding about his allergy, his desire not to waste food, and distortions by the press.
None of this gives any of this away, since the genius of this is not only in the conception, but in the TELLING of the story. Don't consider this just a book for kids. You can EASILY gift it to friends, relatives, favorite (and unfavorite) politicians and members of the media. It's the perfect late 20th-early-21st century retelling of the story, with the wolf as the poor misunderstood victim (of the police, the media, and his health etc). Just like the old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons, this works on two levels so the adults will be as delighted as the kids by this story -- which could easily have run as one of Mad Magazine's better pieces.
Get it for the kids, read it for yourself...and get ready to realize what a great gift this would be for adults of any political persuasions. LOVED IT so much...I hate to give this to the kids! Kids of ALL ages will love this story, whether you read it to them or they read it themselves (so will the kids under 40 years old).
Book Review: A New Version
Summary: 5 Stars
I read the book the true story of the Three Little
Pigs by John Scieszda, illustrated by Lane Smith.
This story is about what really happened. One day
the wolf needed sugar for his grannies birthday cake
so he went to the first Pigs house. He felt a sneeze
coming on so he sneezed and the house blew down
and he saw the pig dead as a doornail so he ate him.
The same thing happened to the second pig. Then
he went to the third pigs house and the third pig talked
about his granny, so the wolf went crazy, but he could
not blow his house down because it was made of
bricks. The police found out about the two pigs he
ate, so he went to pig jail.
I did like this book because he does not just jump
into the story. It tells why the wolf needs the sugar.
The theme is `don't judge a book by it's cover',
because the pigs didn't answer the door. The conflict
is the wolf wanted sugar and the pigs would not give
it to them, so they thought the wolf would eat them,
and they were probably a little bit nervous.
I like the illustrations because they show facial
expressions like when he had a tissue in his hand
when he was crying. This is a good book for people
who are prejudiced. I have a text to self connection,
my friend didn't do me favor, so when he asked a
favor of me, I said no.