Book Review: THE THREE PIGS by David Wiesner

 1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Wiesner, David. The Three Pigs. New York: Clarion Books, 2001. ISBN: 0618007016.

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

The tale of The Three Pigs begins as one would expect, but that doesn’t last for long…the pigs keep escaping from the story! The first one is blown right out of the story by the wolf. The second and third pigs are aided in escape from the wolf – and the story ­– by the first pig. From there, the tale takes several unexpected turns as the pigs explore a world of fairytales and other stories, and intertwine them with their own.

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS

David Wiesner’s version of the three little pigs is definitely a fractured fairytale! Wiesner takes a classic tale, The Three Little Pigs, and parodies it in several ways. The pigs’ escape from the story is the first parody. The wolf is left bewildered when he blows the first two houses down and then can’t find the pigs. The second parody comes as the pigs visit other stories to see what is happening. They weren’t much interested in Mother Goose’s rhyme, Hey Diddle Diddle, but they did spend significant time with the dragon in danger of being slain for the golden rose he guarded. The pigs helped the dragon escape his story, too, parodying not only their own story, but the dragon’s as well. This combination of fairy tales and nursery rhymes suits the genre of fractured fairy tales well.

On the other hand, to get the most from the story, the reader will need to be familiar with a wide range of fairy tales and other stories. The story of this particular dragon is perhaps not as well know by young readers so they may not fully grasp why the pigs would want to save him. Even Mother Goose is less well-known as she once was. Without these foundations in literature, this version of The Three Little Pigs will have less impact on readers.

The illustrations in The Three Pigs are perhaps the most interesting part of the book. An astute reader will recognize many of the illustrations from other fairy tales and stories. Some are easy to identify, such as Jack and the Beanstalk, but others will test even the most widely read reader. It is fun to play with the unconventional sense of illustration that Wiesner uses.

Despite the intriguing illustrations, and interplay between tales, this book has a few drawbacks. The story is a little hard to follow. It really leaves a lot to the imagination at times, which feels confusing and unsettling since the story elements seem largely unconnected. For example, the beginning pages say the wolf eats the pigs, but then you find the pigs being blown off the page. Well, which is it? Which part of the story is to be believed? There are also several pages with no text, and two that are completely blank. Perhaps meant to heighten the suspense, instead they create an unnecessary interruption in the story’s flow.

Overall, this is an interesting book, if you can look past some of the unconventional methods used by Wiesner. If you are a tremendous fan of fractured fairy tales, this might be right up your alley.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

2002 Caldecott Medal Winner

Starred Review, BOOK LIST: “Wiesner has created a funny, wildly imaginative tale that encourages readers to leap beyond the familiar; to think critically about conventional stories and illustration, and perhaps, to flex their imaginations and create wonderfully subversive versions of their own stories.”

Starred Review, THE HORN BOOK: “David Wiesner's postmodern interpretation of this tale plays imaginatively with traditional picture book and story conventions and with readers' expectations of both. . . .Wiesner explores the possibility of different realities within a book's pages. . . . Wiesner may not be the first to thumb his nose at picture-book design rules and storytelling techniques, but he puts his own distinct print on this ambitious endeavor. There are lots of teaching opportunities to be mined here—or you can just dig into the creative possibilities of unconventionality.”

Starred Review, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Children will delight in the changing perspectives...and the whole notion of the interrupted narrative...fresh and funny...Witty dialogue and physical comedy abound in this inspired retelling of a familiar favorite.”

5. CONNECTIONS

* Fractured fairytales could be introduced with The Three Pigs. Once introduced, students could read several fractured fairytales and compare ways authors change stories to give them a fresh twist.

*Some other fractured fairytales:

Cole, Babette. Prince Cinders. New York: Putnam, 1997. ISBN: 0698115546.

Jackson, Ellen B., and Kevin O'Malley. Cinder Edna. New York: Mulberry Books, 1998. ISBN: 0688162959.

Scieszka, Jon, and Lane Smith. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. New York, N.Y., U.S.A.: Viking, 1992. ISBN: 067084487X.

Shaskan, Trisha Speed, and Gerald Guerlais. Honestly, Red Riding Hood Was Rotten!: The Story of Little Red Riding Hood as Told by the Wolf. Mankato, MN: Picture Window Books, 2012. ISBN: 1404870466.

Yolen, Jane, and Diane Stanley. Sleeping Ugly. New York: Putnam & Grosset Group, 1997. ISBN: 0698115600.