“Three Little Pigs” Reviews

Paul Galdone The Three Little Pigs; illus. by the reteller
     41 pp. Seabury
     Reviewed 10/70
“Once upon a time there was an old sow with three little pigs. She had no money to keep them, so she sent them off to seek their fortune.” The illustrator has adapted Joseph Jacobs’ well-loved version of the tale and brought it to life in vibrant line-and-watercolor drawings. The ingenuous little pigs go out into the world and build their homes with materials given to them by smiling stubble-chinned peasants, until eventually the frighteningly wicked, yellow-eyed wolf — reminiscent of the villain in Galdone’s The Monkey and the Crocodile — forces each little pig to confront him. Small touches — the framed illustrations of each pig building his house, the portraits of Mama and his two brothers on the third little pig’s wall, and the four-leaf clovers hidden on the dust jacket and in the end papers — help make for a balanced, sunnily attractive picture book. SHERYL B. ANDREWS

James Marshall The Three Little Pigs; illus. by the author
     32 pp. Dial
     Reviewed 11/89
When James Marshall rolls up his sleeves and reaches for a familiar tale, veteran readers should know by now to brace themselves for a round of hilarity. In his spiffed-up version of the story, the three porkers follow the traditional course of straw, sticks, and bricks with the traditional results, but the players and accoutrements have a bit more zip than those in other versions. “‘Here I come! . . . Dinnertime!’” the wolf sings out as he makes his foolhardy leap down the chimney; the third pig, more refined than his jazzy brothers in pince-nez and dapper ensemble, creates a brick house with a garden, curtains, and handsome window boxes, while complimenting himself, “‘Nice and solid’” as he neatly lays the bricks in place. Although the reteller-illustrator has wisely left the “‘not by the hair of my chinny chin chin’” exchange intact, he has obviously had a grand time with other dialogue. As in Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks and the Three Bears (both Dial), the large, exuberant, cartoonlike illustrations provide much additional entertainment, jouncing readers along delightfully from one amusing scene to the next. K.J.

Barry Moser The Three Little Pigs; illus. by the author
     32 pp. Little
     Reviewed 5/01
Moser has made the plot his own by embellishing the text with dynamic, full-color illustrations that set the story in contemporary times without losing its fabulist elements. And the humorous touches in the pictures are as much commentaries on the characters as they are rib-tickling all on their own. Not for the very youngest listeners, perhaps, this version has enough thrills to satisfy those who want a bit more “meat” in their literary diets.

Glen Rounds Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf; illus. by the author
     32 pp. Holiday
     Reviewed 7/92
A straightforward, stripped-down retelling of a traditional tale is set in a poverty-stricken, trash-strewn rural area and depicts three lean hogs and a scrawny wolf. The typeface in three sizes -- large, larger, and largest -- and the matter-of-fact, homely illustrations, in Round’s familiar bristly, spiky style, perfectly convey this no-frills, unadorned, and very tellable version.

Jon Scieszka The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!; illus. by Lane Smith
     32 pp. Viking
     Reviewed 1/90
This expose of the three pigs as told to Jon Scieszka by A. Wolf, their arch rival, should be a sensation among the cognoscenti who dote on inside stories. For that’s where A. Wolf is — inside the Pig Penn — after being framed by unscrupulous reporters and popular opinion. As he tells it, he was suffering from a miserable head cold when he went to the various homes of his nearest neighbors, the three pigs, to borrow a cup of sugar for his dear old granny’s birthday cake. Unfortunately, he sneezed — three times — in the course of his mission, thus giving rise to the “huffing and puffing” theory which sealed his fate. Naturally, he consumed the victims of his sneezing fits for, as everyone knows, “food will spoil if you just leave it out in the open.” And if the third little pig had not insulted his granny, A. Wolf wouldn’t have been cornered by the cops as he was trying to protect his honor. These startling revelations are accompanied by colorfully impressionistic illustrations, integrating elegance of execution with comic timing. Is A. Wolf’s story interesting? You bet. Is it true? Hard to say. But don’t lend him any sugar! M.M.B.

Eugene Trivizas The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig; illus. by Helen Oxenbury
     32 pp. McElderry
     Reviewed 4/94
In a satirical retelling of the classic tale, the roles are reversed. The art depicts the wolves demurely playing croquet, and when the big bad pig sledgehammers their brick house, the threesome are shown nervously trotting out the back, clutching their beloved teapot. Sophisticated readers will appreciate the humor in the details and in the unexpected happy ending.

David Vozar Yo, Hungry Wolf!; illus. by Betsy Lewin
     48 pp. Doubleday
     Reviewed 10/93
This is an energetic and exuberant retelling of “The Three Little Pigs,” ”Little Red Riding Hood,” and “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” in rap. The rhythm of the language demands that the stories be read aloud. Though the rhyme is lively and extremely clever, young children may miss much of the humor and meaning; older children familiar with the stories will enjoy these versions. Bold, expressive illustrations add to the fun.

David Wiesner The Three Pigs; illus. by the author
     40 pp. Clarion
     Reviewed 5/01
In this postmodern interpretation, the style of the artwork shifts back and forth a few times, as Wiesner explores different realities within a book’s pages. The story begins by following the familiar pattern, but the art and dialogue balloons tell another tale: the pigs actually step out of the panel illustrations without being eaten and the perplexed wolf remains behind. There’s a lot going on here, but once you get your bearings, this is a fantastic journey told with a light touch. K.F.

Margot Zemach The Three Little Pigs: An Old Story; illus. by the author
     32 pp. diCapua/Farrar
     Reviewed 3/89
Never, surely, has The Three Little Pigs featured such a crew of ragamuffins in the leading roles. But this trio of porkers — with bristly faces, patched and grimy togs — play their parts to perfection. As in her version of The Little Red Hen (Farrar), the reteller-illustrator has brought a familiar, often-told tale to life with marvelous ink-and-watercolor illustrations. Her wolf, wearing a dapper green hat and radiating slyness with every inch of his furry self, cuts a splendidly sinister figure as he attempts to wile his way to three pork chop dinners. With simple, lively sentences Zemach has related the complete story, including the apple-picking and country fair episodes. Although countless wolves have huffed and puffed their way to infamy at the hooves of countless clever pigs in other editions, the newest version deserves a look. K.J.

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