The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

Jon Scieszka

illustrated by Lane Smith

 

Jon Scieszka has won a Caldecott Honor medal for The Stinky Cheese Man and is a founder of Guys Read, a nonprofit literacy organization. He has sold over 11 million copies of his children's books worldwide. Lane Smith has illustrated over 25 books including the 2012 Caldecott Honor book Grandpa Green.

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs is a version of the original 3 little pigs story told from the wolf's point of view. The wolf explains that he was practically innocent and only visited the pig's homes to borrow a cup of sugar for a cake. His accidental sneezes blow the houses down and he is framed and thrown in jail.

Scieszka uses a small amount of text on each page and small sentences. For example, to describe the sneezing he says:

"That's when my nose started to itch.

I felt a sneeze coming on.

Well I huffed.

And I snuffed.

And I sneezed a great sneeze."

My favorite part about the story is how pitifully innocent the author makes the wolf sound. When describing the dead pigs and how he should eat them he says "It seemed like a shame to leave a perfectly good ham dinner lying there in the straw. So I ate it up. Think of it as a big cheeseburger just lying there." The humor continues as the wolf comes upon the second house and the second dead pig and says "You know food will spoil if you just leave it out in the open. So I did the only thing there was to do. I had dinner again."

Lane Smith's illustration brings the text to life and adds even another layer of humor to the tale. The wolf is distinguished with glasses, nice clothing and a cute little hankie with pink embroidered sheep. If the reader isn't sympathetic to the wolf already, they are now because the wolf looks like a gentleman and the pigs look plain mean. The illustrations are for the most part dark, but this doesn't take away from the humor. My favorite illustration is on page 3 and the wolf is looking at a giant cheeseburger and talking about his diet. The cheeseburger has bunny ears and a tail sticking out of it. 

Professional Reviews for The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs:

• Publishers Weekly: "the collaborators take a classic story and send it through the wisecracker machine, much to the glee of kids young and old."

• School Library Journal: "It's the type of book that older kids (and adults) will find very funny."
• Booklist: "it not only breaks apart and deliciously reinvents the pigs' tale, it invites readers to step beyond the boundaries of story and picture book altogether."

Books by Jon Sciezka
Books illustrated by Lane Smith
Interview: Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith

Scieszka, Jon. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs. New York: Viking, 1989. 

ISBN 0-670-82759-2

$7.99 at Barnes & Noble

Work consulted: Vardell, Sylvia M. Children's Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide. Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2008. 

Author/illustrator photo from http://www.designmom.com/2012/04/author-interview-jon-scieszka-and-lane-smith/