Three Little Pigs By James Marshall

[Alexandrin Chaples]

Readerswho grin when they pick up this title can be forgiven for correctly anticipating amusing antics within, especially if they are familiar with Marshall's other half-fractured fairy tales (including Goldilocks and the Three Bears , a Caldecott Honor book). Deadpan as ever, Marshall begins this one in a traditional way: the old sow sends her piglets off into the big world. Despite the protests of the tradesmen who sell them materials, both the first and second pig construct their flimsy houses of straw and sticks. In short order, they are gobbled up by the wolf. The pig who invests in bricks, of course, does the gobbling when he encounters the wolf, after a merry mass of near misses that blithely build suspense. There are fairy tales, and there are Marshall's tales. Readers can also be forgiven for preferring his over all the rest. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

PreS-Gr 3-- Marshall brings his own brand of humor to both text and pictures in this retelling of the popular nursery tale . He retains the classic format of the tale, including all of the familiar phrases (``I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in''), but his own asides make the story fresh and lively. For example, when the first little pig decides to build a house of straw, and the straw seller warns, ``That's not a good idea,'' he expresses just what all the worldly wise six- and seven-year-old readers will be thinking. Without a word of description, the colorful cartoon illustrations in ink and watercolor give the three pigs separate personalities. The lazy pig builds a house of straw which takes him ``no time at all,'' and the artistic pig, a stick house which is ``very pretty.'' The wolf, with his slouching posture and shifty, yellow eyes, looks just the sort of character who would lose his temper and jump down the chimney when force and tricks fail to capture the third little pig. Good stories can be retold endlessly, and Marshall's inventive version of The Three Little Pigs is an excellent addition for all library picture-book collections. --Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY

Jennie, when I was in 4th grade (almost 50 years ago), I remember my teacher giving us pictures and we having to write a story about the picture. I have a green binder of those stories I wrote back in 4th grade. Some imagination I had back then. Thanks for a great post and also for following my blog. I hope your day is a happy one. ?

Your class must love you to bits. It was my English teacher that encouraged me to write and sowed those first seeds of love for literature in me. That was when I was fourteen years old, over forty years ago, and I still remember her enthusiasm in class.

The fairy tale stories you chose, Jack and the Beanstalk, The three little pigs and Gokdiocks and the Three Bears were excellently presented by the students. Wonderful examples of how stories inspire terrific art and reporting, Jennie. ?

You are a treasure. Picture books and fairy tales were not a part of my childhood. Some neighbour children, much older, taught me to read at three. I lived in a house without books and for me the world began at the door to the local library. La

Jennie, I am glad for you and all your students that the love of reading/books came into your life. Yes, you do make a difference! Statistically, many of those children would not have had that precious gift you have given them. La

The classic fairy tale is retold with a modern-day twist as the three little pigs settle into their new houses--one of straw, one of sticks and one of bricks--and find themselves threatened by a hungry, mean wolf.

When a fairy tale is classic, like the Three Little Pigs, there are loads of variations available so that it is easy to find the perfect copy for each particular group of students. With the Three Little Pigs, there are so many different endings, some with the wolf being run off with his tail between his legs, others with the pigs tricking the wolf, and yet others with a more grim ending.

Extending the Learning: Ask the students to come up with ideas on how the pigs caught the wolf. Supply pigs and wolf pieces at the felt board or at the block center to encourage the students to retell the story and their ideas on how the wolf got himself in such an odd situation to begin with!

This story starts very similar to the traditional tale. The three pigs are sent out into the world to make their own living. Of course, one builds a house out of straw, another out of sticks, and the third works hard to build a sturdy brick home. But along comes a wolf who is hungry, but not that bad after all!

Extending the Learning: This book is surprisingly a great opportunity to talk not only about hard work, but how some food choices make our bodies stronger. Celebrate the end of the story with a healthy veggie snack!

This sweet story has Clifford, the Big Red Dog, playing the part of the Big Bad Wolf. However, the only thing bad about Clifford is his enormous cold! After accidentally sneezing down two houses, the third pig helps Clifford feel better by giving him soup and some TLC. Once Clifford has his sneezes under control, he helps rebuild the houses of Pig 1 and Pig 2.

Extending the Learning: At the end of the story, the wolves build a house of flowers. Add some wolves and pig figures to this flower sensory table and watch as students retell the story!

This Birthday Party Dramatic Play center encourages young children to celebrate their favorite day. Includes all the printables you need to easily transform your basic home living area into a special birthday party celebration.

This book is a must-read if there is a class guinea pig! These three lovely ladies, Rosie, Minty, and Pumpkin follow the typical story of the three little pigs, but at the end, they outfox a fox in a different way.

The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by Mark Fearing

When three little aliens set out to find homes, they know that the big bad robot will be coming their way soon. My girls loved identifying the planets (there is a little guide in the front) and we were all fans of this otherworldly version on the classic.

We love the three little pigs at our house. I really love Weisner too! In story time a few weeks ago, they did a three little pigs theme and one of the stories was Wolf Won't Bite! by Emily Gravett, where the 3 pigs have captured the wolf at the end of their story and put him in the circus. It was cute. The other one we really love that you didn't list is James Marshall's Three Little Pigs (though I think the ending of that one gets dragged out a bit)

I LOVE The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig! It was one of those books I read over and over again and probably set records for the number of times I checked it out from the library. It has to be at least 10 years since I've read it, but when I started reading this post that book immediately sprang to mind and I thought, "Oh, there's no way it'll be included," so it made me so happy to see that you liked it too! There's something about the weirdness that makes the wolves seem sweet and cuddly and the pig seem like a big ol' bully who just needs a little happiness in his life.

Retellings are so much fun. One of our favorites is The Three Little Javelinas, by Susan Lowell. It's the southwestern version, with Coyote as the villain.

I'm glad everything is okay with you and the baby. ?

I love different versions of classic tales! The True Story of the Three Little Pigs is probably my number one all time favorite picture book. Another favorite is The Three Little Javelinas, a great example of how setting changes the story.

This is a rather dark version of the familiar tale, and not my favorite. The wolf eats the first two pigs (as evidenced by the pile of bones and hot sauce), and the illustrations (while amazing) feel creepy.

I have a special place in my heart for this one, since I taught in Arizona and had a student who told me that javelinas regularly visited his yard. This really is a wonderful southwestern adaptation. It takes place in the Sonoran desert (where I taught), and features three little javelinas who are harassed by the big bad Coyote. The three homes are built of tumbleweed, saguaro cactus ribs, and adobe bricks.

This is a creative retelling in which the three pigs are actually three little rigs, and the big bad wolf is actually a big bad wrecking ball. I think the book is a bit dark for toddlers and young preschoolers. That said, my first grader loved it.

My first grader loved this book. It begins like a traditional three little pigs story, but trouble arrives when the illustrator spills his juice on the straw house. Things only get worse when he starts to run out of paint, and the pigs are white instead of pink. We like this silly twist on the classic.

The Three Little Pigs, by Paul Galdone

This is a vintage tale that tells the story in the traditional way (the wolf eats the first two pigs). At the end, the third pig eats the wolf. If you prefer the classic version of the story, this is a good one to read aloud.

There is a wonderful Soviet Version, I believe printed by Progress Publishers which I purchased in 1986 for pennies in Kathmandu, in which the wolf is dressed as swashbuckling highway robber. It was truly wonderful and my kids (and I) loved it. I made the mistake of giving it away and have been searching for it ever since.

I love sharing The Three Little Hawaiian Pigs and the Magic Shark by Donivee Martain Laird when I substitute teach.

She has retold various fairy tales with Hawaiian settings. The shark returns in a version of Little Red Riding Hood. The last book ties all the characters together as they teach the Magic Shark to cook.

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