The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! by Jon Scieszka

 

Scieszka, Jon. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! Ill. Lane Smith. New York: Puffin Books, 1989. ISBN: 0-14-054451-8

PLOT SUMMARY

Contrary to popular belief, the three little pigs may not have been the innocent prey of a big bad wolf. Could the wolf have been a victim of unfortunate circumstances, instead? In the true version of the infamous tale The Three Little Pigs, Alexander T.Wolf does not hide his predatory habits from the reader. He openly admits that he does enjoy eating cute little animals. It's simply what wolves do. However, that particular day which dramatically changed his life, he was not out to hunt and eat pigs. He was merely trying to ask his neighbors, the three pig brothers, if he could borrow a cup of sugar so he could bake his dear old grandmother a cake for her birthday. Unfortunately, their mistrust of Al Wolf caused their own deaths, and as a result poor Al was unfairly condemned.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! creates the suggestion of innocence when the main character, Alexander T.  Wolf, tells his side of the story. From the Al's point of view, his intentions that one particular day were purely innocent. Yet his actions, eating two pig brothers for example, suggest he is not as innocent as he would like to believe. He justifies some of his rather unsavory eating habits by claiming he is a wolf, and that he should not be blamed for doing things that wolves naturally do. It is in his nature, over which he has no control.

Scieszka uses a casual and friendly writing style in first-person point-of-view in the story. It is a good strategy. Al's one-sided conversation with the reader helps convince the reader he is not big and bad. In truth, Al is an easy-going wolf who is the victim of both a bad sneezing cold and his wolf's nature. He seems sincere when telling his side of the story. He explains that the horrible events of that unfortunate day started because he was merely trying to make a cake for his grandmother but a horrible sneezing spell caused him to sneeze away the sugar. Whose heart couldn't be warmed by the picture of a grandson making a special cake for his dear old granny? When he sets out to borrow sugar from the pigs, they treated him rudely. It is difficult to like the pigs at this point. The third little pig insulted Al's grandmother, which would cause just about anybody to become angry. Still, there are actions that imply he is not quite as blameless as he would like the reader to believe, and those suggestions are not only found in the writing, but in the illustrations, as well.

Lane Smith's illustrations complete the story. Taken alone, the words could lead the reader to completely sympathize with the wolf. It is through the pictures that a deeper look into Al Wolf's final day of freedom becomes evident. Smith draws Al Wolf as a nice guy-wolf, in a smart suit and silly glasses. There is a saying, "Pictures speak louder than words." That saying fits well with this book. For example, Al admits wolves eat bunnies. The words themselves are not too disturbing. However, on the neighboring page, the illustration shows the cake batter has bunny ears poking out from the thick mixture! This is not the best image for winning the reader's opinion to favor the wolf! Smith's illustrations, filled with a blend of soft hues and clear lines, add depth and texture to the objects and characters. When Al's sneezes destroy the houses, soft billowy brown and gold dust clouds hover over clear lines of straw or twigs, calling the reader's eye to the attention of the poor little piggies' behinds poking out of the debris. Were they truly dead as Al claimed, or were they trying to hide from Al's carnivorous cravings? With no eye witnesses, only Al knows the truth. In a twist of ironic humor, Smith drew the second pig's behind with two twigs placed on either side. The shapes of the twigs and the position of the behind suggest a dinner setting at a dining table. Who could hold the wolf at fault for seeing a meal before him?

Scieszka and Smith's clever retelling of The Three Little Pigs shows the importance, and fun, of seeing the point of view of other characters in a story. While Wolf cannot be held blameless for his actions, he certainly is not as big and bad as we were led to believe: Just a victim of his wolf-nature.

AWARDS AND REVIEWS

#35 SLJ's Top 100 Picture Books, School Library Journal
ALA Notable Children Books - 1997

Reviews:
"Designed with uncommon flair," said PW, this "gaily newfangled version of the classic tale" takes sides with the villain. "Imaginative watercolors eschew realism, further updating the tale." A Spanish-language reprint will be issued simultaneously " Publishers Weekly

"Scieszka carries off this revision with suitably mordant humor, ably reflected in Smith's dark, elegantly sophisticated illustrations. Not for little children, but middle grades and up should be entertained while taking the point about the unreliability of witnesses." Kirkus Reviews

CONNECTIONS

Fractured folktale picture book ages 3-8 (suggested)

Related Books

The Three Little Pigs (Little Golden Book); available through amazon.com

The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales, Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith

Enrichment Activities

Lesson plan ideas:  http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/mff/fractured_fairy_true.htm

The following link will take you to a fun website for Scieszka fans. You will also find links to important literary associations. It's worth checking out!  http://www.jsworldwide.com/

PERSONAL RESPONSE

Jon Scieszka's ironic humor has always made me laugh, and he didn't let me down in this clever little tale.  While looking for awards given to this book, I found myself on Amazon browsing through his other books. I ordered Science Verse to read to my eighth grade science students at school! I can't wait to get it to share with them.

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! cover illustration. Internet on-line.  Accessed September 22, 2012 from http://www.jsworldwide.com/yeah_he_wrote_em.html