The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
By: A. Wolf
As Told To: Jon Scieszka
Illustrated By: Lane Smith
Scieszka and Smith have teamed up numerous times to bring upbeat, funny picture books that will make the reader think. This particular story is one of my favorites by them.
Everyone knows the story of the Three Little Pigs. That mean old wolf huffed and puffed, blew down houses and ate their owners. That is, until he came to the third house of the pig siblings made of brick and met a horrible end. Have you noticed that the older version(s) always side with the pigs? Well, Scieszka and Smith tell us the wolf's point-of-view. From jail.
The wolf introduces himself right from the start. He even gives us his name: Alexander T. Wolf, but we can call him Al. He explains that wolves just get a bad rap and that it's possibly from their diet, but that they can't help that they eat "cute little animals." He boils it down to the story being about a sneeze and a cup of sugar, and he lays it on thick, trying to gain the readers sympathy. If you notice his tone though, he may want to seem innocent, but I can't help but notice that wolfish sinister-ness going on.
Al is making his grandma a cake for her birthday, but he ran out of sugar. He makes sure we know that his sneezing cold was terrible before he sets off for the first little pigs house. According to him, his nose started to itch, then he huffed and snuffed, and when he sneezed it just blew that little straw house all to pieces. There, in the ruins, was the first little pig, and Al tells us he was dead and that he couldn't let that a perfectly good meal go to waste. In the illustrations we never see the first little big before his house is blown down, so the wolf has the benefit of the doubt on his side for this one. The second pig is another story altogether.
We see the second pig and even hear him tell the wolf to go away. Conveniently enough, the wolf sneezes again and the house of sticks falls. When the debris settles we see the same parts of the second little pig as we did the first, so there's the slight possibility he perished, but if his house was made of sticks wouldn't he just have some scratches? And then the wolf tells us he was dead, "Wolf's honor." Now, that makes me stop short right there. Wolf's honor? Since when have carnivorous animals had honor? Isn't hunger a driving force in their lives? A little self-preservation instinct going on? Of course he takes advantage of the supposedly dead little piggy.
At the third pig's house we are allowed a peek at the pig, he even answers the wolf and tells him to go away, but the kicker, according to the wolf, is that the pig insulted his granny. Al just wasn't going to take that from a pig, so he admits to "huffing and puffing and sneezing and making a real scene" which is when the cops show up.
Al believes the reporter blew his story out of proportion when he found out the wolf had already eaten two pigs (which he claims were dead) and made up all that huffing and puffing nonsense. He wants us to believe that he was framed, and in a desperate way. The last line of the book tells us he may not be so innocent after all: "But maybe you could loan me a cup of sugar." The wolf is in jail at this point and has no need for sugar. You should also notice that his jailer is a pig. Maybe the wolf is just living in the wrong community?
Al is trying to prove his innocence throughout the story, but he makes little comments that alert the reader to the fact he just may not be telling the whole truth. Smith's illustrations also to help to show the reader that things may not be as they seem.
The story of The Three Little Pigs is a familiar tale to children, so introducing them to this book would help explain differing points of view, how there are two sides to every story, and that you really have to listen to people and get all the facts before you make a hasty decision. I won't tell you whether or not you should believe the wolf, I've made my mind up on that one, but the fun is really in the words and pictures. This author/illustrator team works wonderfully together.
Recommended To:
- Big kids who remember the tale
- Adults trying to teach children about differing points of view
- Everyone!
Notes on the Cover:
Since the wolf is telling us his story, it is aptly appropriate that the cover of the book is the cover of a newspaper. The title of the newspaper is important, as is the headline, byline and the person reading the paper (look in the bottom, right corner and you'll notice the owner). The illustrations in the text add a lot of depth to the story, so take your time with this one!
On our shelves!
I believe I've mentioned this before, but Jon Scieszka is the first ever National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by the Library of Congress. He has also started a blog called Guys Read, that caters to young boys and helps them find new and exciting books to read.