Picture Book Review #2

Here's my next review. I had so much fun with this book!

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Wiesner, David. 2001. THE THREE PIGS. Ill. by David Wiesner. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 0618007016

2. PLOT SUMMARY
The 2002 Caldecott Medal winner, THE THREE PIGS, is beautifully written and illustrated by David Wiesner. In this very funny version of the traditional story “The Three Little Pigs,” Wiesner shows what would happen if the pigs were in charge of the story. It is written for children ages 4 to 8, but it is also loved by many adults.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
David Wiesner’s writing is humorous and light. He mixes up the traditional story of the “Three Little Pigs” and changes the plot. Wiesner uses anthropomorphism in his writing, by giving the pigs, and other animals in the story, human qualities. The reader gets the story from both a third person narrator and first person perspective from the three pigs. The pigs are blown out of their story frames and decide to fly off on an adventure to visit other stories. Thy visit HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE and then another story, where they rescue a dragon. The cat from HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE and the dragon then come into the pigs’ story and save them from the wolf. Wiesner ends with a closed ending, where the pigs, the cat, and the dragon are all living “happily ever after” in the brick house.

David Wiesner’s illustrations are vital for moving the story to a completely new level. The back cover foreshadows what happens later in the book, with the cat from HEY DIDDLE, DIDDLE. Wiesner uses many illustration styles in the story. Different font styles are used for the traditional story text and then dialogue balloons are used for the pigs outside of the story. The art media used includes watercolor, colored inks, and pencil.

The story starts on the title page with the three pigs carrying the straw, sticks, and bricks from which they will build their houses. On the first page, the reader is next to the wolf, looking down on the pigs. Then, the following pages consist of two story frames each, and within the story frames, we get the “normal” version of the story. Once the first pig is blown out of the story pages, the illustrations are used to show what the text is not telling us. For example, the text says the wolf “…ate the pig up,” but the illustration shows the wolf looking confused because the pig has climbed out of the story frame.

When the pigs are wandering outside of the story frames, they appear three-dimensional and real. Then, there is another twist when the pigs decide to go visit other stories. The illustrator shows this by changing the pictures, using different mediums and fonts. Therefore, as they enter the new story, the pigs conform to that book’s style, such as the comic-book line drawings of the dragon.

Wiesner also shows different perspectives. The pigs knock the pages down and use one to build an airplane to fly away. The reader gets a sense of movement with different perspectives of the plane underneath and then flying past them. There is also one point in the book where one pig is made to look close, by being extra big. This is when he “sees” the reader and he says, “I think…someone’s out there.”

This book is a great example of taking a well-known story and creating a new and dynamic plot.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
School Library Journal (starred review) and SLJ Best Books of the Year
"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.”

Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“As readers have come to expect from the inventive works of Wiesner, nothing is ever quite as it seems in his picture books…he takes the idea of 3-D characters operating independently of their storybooks to a new level here.”

Kirkus Reviews
“…On the last few pages, the final words of the text break apart, sending letters drifting down into the illustrations to show us that once we have ventured out into the wider world, out stories never stay the same.

Booklist (starred review)
“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.”

Children's Books: 100 Titles-NYPL and Best Books for Children-Cahners

5. CONNECTIONS
*Have children pick another traditional story and work together to create a new version of it. *Gather other books illustrated by David Wiesner. Look to see how he uses sly humor through his artwork :
Wiesner, David. 1988. FREE FALL. New York, NY: Scholastic. ISBN 059045983X.
Wiesner, David. 1991. TUESDAY. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 0395551137.
*Gather other versions of “Three Little Pigs” and compare and contrast them with Wiesner’s THE THREE PIGS. (For the wolf’s version-Scieszka, John. THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS BY A. WOLF. ISBN: 0670831018)
*Book-related websites:
http://www.vickiblackwell.com/lit/threepigs.html
This is a great site devoted to THE THREE PIGS. You can download bookmarks, read more about the author and illustrator, David Wiesner, and obtain lists of activities and projects dealing with THE THREE PIGS.

Happy Reading!
Lonnie