Moser, Barry. 2001. THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. Ill. By
Barry Moser. New York, NY: Little, Brown & Company. ISBN 031658440
Brief
Plot Summary: Three
little pigs leave home to live on their own for the first time. Each one endeavors to build a house out of
different materials. The first two pigs
build unsteady structures and they are destroyed by a wolf. Sadly, the pigs are both eaten. The third pig built his house out of brick,
much to the dismay of the wolf, who could not blow it down. The pig continues to outsmart the wolf
through a series of meetings and, ultimately, wins the battle of wits for good.
Critical
analysis: Barry Moser’s
version of The Three Little Pigs sticks close to the traditional version of the
story of good versus evil, with a happy ending. The pace is fast, as the wolf quickly
eliminates the first two pigs. There are no cultural clues to indicate that it
is specific to a nationality or country.
The illustrations showcase the traditional band of sweet little pigs,
while showing the big bad wolf to be both mean and bumbling as his plans are
continuously thwarted by the smart little pig.
The artist's renderings of the frustrated wolf are especially vivid. The ending illustration creatively captures the third pig wearing house
shoes made out of the wolf.
Awards
won: No awards found.
Review
Excerpts
Ages 3-6. In
this solid, humorous retelling (note the pig picking his nose in the jacket
painting), Moser stays close to the traditional story: the three pigs set off
to find their fortunes; two build flimsy houses that the wolf easily blows
down, gobbling pigs one and two. It's the third pig who sees through the wolf's
invitations to visit the turnip patch and the country fair. The story concludes
with the familiar gruesome ending: the wolf climbs down the chimney into the
pig's scalding pot to become wolf stew. The words are satisfying and perfectly
paced for reading aloud. But it's the watercolor-and-graphite illustrations
that add freshness. Moser's wolf is rangy and menacing, but still buffoonish
and laughable, while his round, pink pig opponent is surprisingly agile and
devious. Preschool crowds will love the funny details--the wolf slippers the
pig wears are wonderful--and will find new delight and suspense in a favorite
tale. ((Reviewed June 1 & 15, 2001)) Copyright 2001 Booklist Reviews
Engberg,
Gillian. 2001. "Books for Youth: BOOKS FOR THE YOUNG." Booklist
97, no. 19/20: 1886. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost
(accessed June 19, 2013).
Barry Moser has
a gift for endowing the commonplace with elegance, the familiar with new
perspectives, as he demonstrates in this retelling of a storyteller's staple.
Moser has made the plot his own by embellishing the text with dynamic,
full-color illustrations that set the story in contemporary times without
losing its fabulist elements. And the humorous touches in the pictures are as
much commentaries on the characters as they are rib-tickling all on their own.
After the wolf's efficient disposal of the first two pigs, he schemes to
challenge the third, who proves to be his nemesis. The inclusion of the three
encounters found in Joseph Jacobs's version-the journey to the turnip field,
the apple orchard, and the county fair-provide ample opportunity for the artist
to depict the wolf's growing frustration and to emphasize the third pig's
ingenuity. The juxtaposition of beautifully rendered landscapes with those
plump porkers and that mangy wolf adds tension. Not for the very youngest
listeners, perhaps, this version has enough thrills to satisfy those who want a
bit more "meat" in their literary diets. Copyright 2001 Horn Book
Magazine
Burns,
M. M. (2001). The three little pigs (Book Review) (Undetermined). Horn Book
Magazine, 77(3), 340.
PreS-Gr 2 --With all the
amusing alternatives to the traditional "Three Little Pigs," it is somehow satisfying
to have a retelling that embraces all the best of the classic. Set amid Moser's
marvelous illustrations are the familiar refrains of "let me come
in," "chinney chin chin," and "huff" and
"puff," and that safe brick house. Pig one and two pay the
ultimate price for inferior building materials: a satisfied wolf reclines on
the ground, a pail of bones behind him and an empty jar of "Bubba's No
Cook BBQ Sauce" beside him. For reasons known only to the author, Big Mama
Pig
sends her little pigs off on Valentine's Day. Visual
humor abounds: "Wolfe Pruf cement," a "Lupus ware" kettle,
perky wolf slippers on the third little pig,
etc. Though many versions of the story stop with the success of the brick
house, Moser
continues with the extension of turnips, apples, and a trip to the fair to show
just how clever the last little pig is and
how foolish the wolf. In the end, the very skinny wolf becomes dinner for a
perfectly plump pig. Well written and cleverly illustrated, the book is
the perfect choice for replacing tattered editions with inferior illustrations
that may be cluttering library shelves or a fine first pick for a growing
library.
McCoy,
Jody. 2001. "The Three Little Pigs (Book Review)." School Library
Journal 47, no. 5: 145. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost
(accessed June 19, 2013).
In this unforgiving version of the
cautionary classic, a scrawny wolf easily dispenses with two little pigs, but engages in a long-running
battle of wits with their brother. At the outset, three
blush-pink pigs
set off to build their houses. The two pigs who build with straw and wood
fall victim to a hollow-stomached wolf with mousy-gray fur and yellow fangs.
Closely observed details attest to their grim fates; in a postmeal spread, the
wolf dabs his mouth with the second pig's blue bandana as white bones protrude
from a metal tool bucket and a jar of barbecue sauce (decorated with Moser's
self-portrait) lies empty. Moser (Good and Perfect Gifts) then expands on the
original. The author's droll product placement calls to mind Wile E. Coyote's
preference for Acme equipment (the third little pig
does construction with "Wolfe Pruf Cement"). Before the inevitable
ending--in which the wolf winds up as stew--the villain invites the pig on three
consecutive outings but gets outsmarted every time. Thus the old story gains
abundant visual asides and a new subplot, but loses some of its appealingly
repetitive "chinny chin chins" and huffing and puffing. What remain
in Moser's
tense account are a climactic one-two-three pattern and a constant threat
of danger to the bald, vulnerable protagonist. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)
Zaleski,
Jeff, Diane Roback, Jennifer M. Brown, and Jason Britton. 2001. "THE THREE
LITTLE PIGS (Book Review)." Publishers Weekly 248, no. 11: 90. Academic
Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed June 19, 2013).
Connections:
I discovered the following enrichment activity that
would be fun for elementary children. Present
students with some real straw, sticks,
and a real brick. Let them feel each material and discuss its characteristics
such as texture, weight, and sturdiness. Ask them to describe a story that they have heard
that includes all three types of materials. Encourage the students to explain
what they already know about the story. Explain
to students that The Three Little Pigs has many different versions and
each story is written a little differently.
I also found many great enrichment activities
related to The Three Little Pigs at the following Scholastic website:
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