The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig

 Bibliography: Trivizas, E. (1997). The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig. Ill by Helen Oxenbury. Aladdin Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0-689-81528-7


Plot summary

A very different version of the 3 little pigs where the roles are reversed.  The ending however is very different as the pig and the wolves all get a “happily ever after”.


Critical Analysis:

In this version of The Three Little Pigs the Pig is the mean one trying to destroy the homes of the three innocent little wolves.  Just as in the original, the animals take on human-like features, such as walking on two legs and playing croquet. The illustrations did an excellent job of moving the story along.  Oxenbury made great use of color as well. She contrasts the harsh colors of the wolves' houses made of bricks, concrete and iron bars with the bright colors of nature surrounding the houses. The illustrations are lively and show movement: we can see the pig attempting to huff and puff and the houses being knocked down or blown up. Trivizas’ take on the story is extremely funny, and I found myself laughing out loud in the bookstore. Though my daughter is almost an adult, I bought it for my own reading enjoyment.


Reviews

Kirkus Reviews: Oxenbury provides dauntingly well- executed watercolors, offering such charming contrasts as an angular modernistic concrete home in an otherwise pastoral setting.


Amazon.com: Eugene Trivizas's hilarious text and Helen Oxenbury's enchanting watercolors have made this delightfully skewed version of the traditional tale a contemporary classic.


Awards

School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

Booklist Editors' Choice


Connections:

Have students rewrite their favorite fairy tale, with a twist. For any grade level.


Have elementary students write a backstory about the pig and what made him bad.


Have a discussion with elementary students about why they think pigs and wolves are natural enemies. 


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