Module 3: The Three Pigs

Book Summary:

     This book begins like the tale of the three pigs we all know - the pigs build their houses out of straw, sticks, and bricks, and the wolf blows the first two houses down. But instead of the pigs being eaten, they are actually "blown" off the pages of the book! The pigs escape and take the book apart to confuse the wolf. Then, they go on a paper airplane ride to rescue a couple of characters from other tales. In the end, the pigs are safe in the brick house (along with a dragon and cat). 

APA Reference of Book:

Wiesner, D. (2001). The three pigs. Boston, MA: Houghton

     Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Impressions:

     Wow! No wonder this book received the Caldecott Medal. I have never seen illustrations like these, where the characters actually seem to be taken "off" the pages. What a unique way to portray a story. Speech bubbles are used by the characters that aren't in the story, and words seem to be blown away too (these aspects bring the story to life). 

     I like how this story starts off like the regular tale of the three little pigs, then Wiesner takes off with his imagination to create a whole new story. This is unexpected to the readers, so it captures their attention when the pigs are "blown" off the pages as the wolf huffs and puffs. It leaves readers on the edges of their seats excited to see what might happen next. The book shows readers that anything can happen in a story (the sky is the limit)! 

     This book doesn't have much text because the illustrations really tell the story. The story is unpredictable. For example, a dragon becomes a pig's friend. I enjoyed how the book contained characters from other nursery rhymes, like the cat and the fiddle. I haven't seen many books that cross over to different stories. 

     The Three Pigs takes a familiar story and tells it in a new, innovative way.

Professional Review:

    "Even the book's younger readers will understand the distinctive visual code. As the pigs enter the confines of a storybook page, they conform to that book's illustrative style, appearing as nursery-rhyme friezes or comic book line drawings. When the pigs emerge from the storybook pages into the meta-landscape, they appear photographically clear and crisp, with shadows and three dimensions. Wiesner's (Tuesday) brilliant use of white space and perspective (as the pigs fly to the upper right-hand corner of a spread on their makeshift plane, or as one pig's snout dominates a full page) evokes a feeling that the characters can navigate endless possibilities and that the range of story itself is limitless."

Publishers Weekly. (2001). Review of the book, The three pigs, 

     by D. Wiesner. Publishers Weekly. Retrieved from https://

     learn.unt.edu/webapps/portal/execute/tabs/tabAction?tab

     _tab_group_id=_81_1

Library Uses:

     This book could be used for children to create "spin off" stories of their own. After the librarian reads the book, she could put students into small groups to brainstorm ideas for their own story. Each group would take a familiar tale, and transform it into a story of their own (making sure to keep some of the story's elements the same, but changing the story around). They would present their stories to the class. Once the class becomes familiar with each other's stories, later on they could act out the stories in front of a different grade level (or have a night where parents come to watch their children perform).