The Three Little Pigs

 

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bishop, Gavin. 1989. The three little pigs. Ill. by Gavin Bishop. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0590433571

 

2. PLOT SUMMARY

In this modern take on The Three Little Pigs, three pig brothers are sent off by their mother to seek their fortunes. The first built his house out of straw, the second out of twigs, and the third built it out of bricks. The wolf visits each house on the evening they’re finished. When the pigs refuse to open the door “by the hairs of their chinny chin chins” the wolf “huffs and puffs and blows their houses in”. He blows down the first two pigs houses and eats them. When he tries to do the same at the house made of bricks, he realizes he won’t be able to force his way in and he resorts to trickery. He tempts the pig with turnips, apples, and a fair, but he is outsmarted by the pig each time. The wolf is so angered by this that he decides to climb in the pig’s house through the chimney. The pig puts a pot of water to boil on the chimney trapping and eating the wolf.

 

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

  This folktale stays very true to the original tale. The only changes made are presented in the illustrations. The pigs and wolf are dressed in modern clothing, but the houses, the repetition, and the ways the wolf tries to fool the last pig is all the same. There is clearly an evil character (the wolf) and the pigs are the good characters (more the last pig). This story emphasizes that being lazy and careless are traits that will always bring misfortune. The pig that took his time and put in the work was the only one that survived. The good pig triumphs over the evil wolf and justice is served when the pig eats the wolf in the end. The story is fast paced and moves from pigs being eaten, to outsmarting a wolf, and ends with the wolfs death.

As mentioned above, the illustrations are really the only point of modernization. The pigs are wearing T-shirts while the wolf walks around with a Walkman and headphones. The fast-paced movement of the story is captured really well through Bishop’s line work and shading. Bishop makes use of color to signify the time and uses watercolors for an overall more muted look.

 

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Reviewed in Horn Book Guide: “The lively illustrations are significantly weakened by the blandness of the text.”

Reviewed in Kirkus Reviews: “Why not another version, if it's this good? After all, there's no better story.

 

5. CONNECTIONS

*This story is a great one to use for reader’s theatre. The repeating elements and lines make it possible for every student to participate. Different groups could practice their roles and perform for each other in the end.

*This story can be used to guide a makerspace activity based on creating houses out of different craft materials. Students can test out their houses using a blow dryer to play the wolf as they reenact the story.

*This story could lead to discussions about hard work, discipline, thinking through different options, and good triumphing over evil.

*Other versions of The Three Little Pigs:

Wiesner, David. The three pigs. ISBN 9780618007011

Kellogg, Steven. The three little pigs. ISBN 9780064437790

Scieszka, Jon. The true story of the 3 little pigs. ISBN 9780670827596

Whatley, Bruce. Wait! No paint! ISBN 9780064435468