My five-year-old twins love the
Elephant & Piggie books by Mo Willems (author of
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus). They have me read them multiple times a day, they 'read' them back to me--they even perform plays in our living room while I hold up the books to remind them of their lines. They can't get enough of the friends' adventures, but today we finally got to read pig books that didn't involve Gerald and his pal!
After reading some ballerina, Paw Parol, and Henry& Mudge books this morning, they handed me a copy of The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf. The 'somewhat bad' reminded me of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and I was off running to collect that one too.We added two more and commenced reading. We had a delightful half-hour reading various versions of the tale and asking questions about the events and characters. As much as I love Elephant & Piggie, this is was a wonderful change of pace.
There are many versions of The Three Little Pigs out there, from the familiar Disney animated story to the
Three Little Rigs about construction vehicles, but one holds a special place in my heart:
#1 The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs as told by
Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith. This is a book my mother would read to us all the time as children (a special favorite of my older brother, if I remember correctly). She would even read it in our school classrooms multiple times a year, by request (demand) from our friends. It made me so happy when I was at the thrift store this week and overheard a woman recommending it to her friend as a
must-own, both friends delighted to realize their mutual love of this now-classic tale. Familiar, shared love of books can create strong bonds of friendship and shared experiences. Even though my siblings and I are grown, we still quote this book among ourselves, smiling fondly anytime the story enters our conversation. I'm so grateful all of my children are finally old enough to sit still through my favorite tale (tail).
This is the story of Alexander (you can call me Al) T. Wolf and his quest to borrow a cup of sugar to finish making a birthday cake for his dear, old granny. It's not his fault that his cold makes him sneeze, blowing down the houses of his rude neighbors who won't share a simple cup of sugar. And it's certainly not his fault he can't leave perfectly good meat lying around to rot in the sun. But as for being big and bad? He was framed! The book has stayed available in bookstores for the last thirty years, but you can also purchase it on Amazon or read it in Kindle Unlimited (which is a horrible format, but convenient). I also looked up the author's Amazon page and discovered a plethora of books I hadn't heard about in the last twenty years that I will be reading shortly myself.
There are so many fantastic retellings of the story out there that I had to share a few more. If you want the classic, well-told story check out these books:
Kids will love reading the Golden Book, especially if you have them watch the Disney short first so they can respond to their favorite parts as you read. For the second, James Marshall has many fun fairy tale retellings with cute pictures and readable words. The third is a book that was recommended to me as a simple tellings with engaging pictures. The last is one of my favorite because, as a mother struggling to engage her children in the books, I'm having to learn a lot about asking questions and having my children point things out on the page, not just enjoy listening to the story together. This is part of a set of books by Scholastic called "Story Play" which actually has thought bubbles throughout with things to ask children and a parents section at the end with different ideas to teach your children with this book. It's a fabulous program for parents who want to learn how to do more.
Now for the more interesting versions of this piggie delight:
Similar to
True Story, this is the story told from the wolf's perspective. The poor wolf has UBS (Uncontrollable Breathing Syndrome) and he needs the help of a friend (pig #3) to see that his powers can be used for good. I found this series on Kindle Unlimited this morning and I intend to read more today.
The three pigs learn martial arts to beat the wolf, but the first two find themselves woefully inadequate when they finally face their foe. Can their sister save them? Part of a fun series of ninja fairy tales.
This book tells us what happened after the pigs captured the wolf. They become known as The Three Superpigs, known for rescuing characters from all over the fairy kingdom, but will they retain their title when the wolf returns for revenge?
The classic tale, but with a fishy twist. "Not by the skin on my finny-fin-fin!"
Most children I've read this book to love it, but it's especially great for boys or those who love construction and destruction. The wolves start out in the strong brick house, but their home is taken out by the pig's sledgehammer. Each home becomes more elaborate and the destruction more complete. How will they ever find a safe place to call home?
Not my favorite version, but definitely one of the more interesting ones and I know many people that love it more than I. The three pigs get blown into other stories and have to make their way home. Beautiful illustrations.
Similar story to the original, but with a Southwestern twist. Our family originally found it because of Reading Rainbow. This one is much longer than most of the versions so maybe best for second grade and older. You can also find a version in Spanish
here.
The little alligators leave home and one-by-one stop to build their houses to stay safe from the Big-Bottomed Boar. This story has fun rhymes and a catchy phrase kids will love to repeat with you. Available on KU.
A version for those kids that love construction vehicles. Three rigs set out to build their own garages, but the wrecking ball takes great pleasure in destroying their efforts.
My favorite part of fairy tales is that different authors can make creative changes to highlight different points or to poke fun at the original tale. This is also why I love reading adult versions of fairy tales because they flesh out the simply story and make it more interesting. Look around and discover which versions speak to you. My links send you to Amazon, but if you want to see the books before you buy, you can find videos of most on YouTube with good narrators.
Do you have another favorite version which I didn't mention? Feel free to leave a comment below.
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