The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

                                                The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!
Lexile Level: AD570L (ages 5-8)

            This book is written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith. This book is a new literacy book and takes a twist on the classic tale of The Three Little Pigs. The book is told from the perspective of the wolf. He tells the story claiming that he had a terrible cold and just wanted a cup of sugar for a birthday cake he was making. In the story he ends up sneezing the house made of straws, and sticks down. The pigs that owned those houses end up dying from their house collapsing so he eats them. At the house made of bricks the little pig says something mean about the wolf’s “dear old granny”, so the wolf goes a little crazy, and that’s when the cops show up. The wolf claims he was framed and it was all a misunderstanding.
Is this story good?
          I think this is a good story to read because it gives students a different perspective on the  classic story.
Is this story about something I think could really happen? Is the plot believable?
        The story is a fairytale, so the events that occur in it cannot actually happen. However, the plot is believable, because every story has two sides. This classic fairytale has the "villain's side of the story".
Does the main character overcome the problem? Did it seem natural?
         The main character never really overcomes the problem in the story, he tells his side of the story for the hopes that the reader will take his side. At the end of the story, the reader sees the main character in jail still asking for a cup of sugar. I think the problem the main character wants to overcome is the for someone to believe his story.
Did the characters fit the setting?
          I think the characters all fit in the setting they all have personalities that fit into the story. The story includes bits and parts from the original story, so this helps the reader recognize the story and helps the reader adapt to reading from a different perspective.

            The author uses repetition in this book, for example, “I huffed, and I snuffed. And I sneezed a great sneeze”. The author uses this particular line whenever the wolf goes to a pig’s house. The author also uses personification in the book. The wolf is baking a cake, or knocking on doors, or talking. The pigs are shaving hairs on their “chinny chin chin”, or they are talking to the wolf. Another literary element Scieszka uses is the use of similes. For example, the wolf says, “And right in the middle of the pile of straw was the First Little Pig-dead as a doornail”. All of these examples are great to help a student’s understanding of figurative language.

            The illustrations are very unique to the book. The illustrations are created by Lane Smith. I think if students needed a picture walk through for the book they would be able to tell the book without reading the words. Whenever the wolf sneezes and the house falls down he always has a handkerchief to wipe his nose. The pictures tell the story right alongside the actual story.
            If I were to develop a mini lesson, I would read both of the stories to the students (original and by Scieszka) and have them do a Venn diagram or comparison chart to compare the two stories. I would then maybe have them write a page on how the stories are similar and how the stories are different. The students will also have an opportunity to be able to choose which story they think is the real story.

Citation:

Scieszka, J. & Smith L. (illustrator). 1989. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs. Scholastic Inc.