Caldecott Winning Picture Book Review

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Wiesner, David. 2001. The Three Pigs. New York, NY: Clarion Books.
ISBN 0618007016

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Wiesner's retelling of the classic story, The Three Little Pigs, takes a decidedly different twist. The story begins the way we remember, with the three pigs building their houses, and the Big, Bad Wolf blowing down the houses to eat the pigs up. This time, however, the first pig gets blown right out of the story; he then gets the other pigs to follow him. The three pigs then travel, having their own adventures outside the confines of the book. Adventures abound, as the three pigs meet up with the cat and the fiddle, and a dragon, both who join them in their trek.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Wiesner's retelling of the story is fresh, witty, and enthralling. His illustrations unfold using a multitude of techniques and medi, including watercolor, gouache, colored inks, and colored pencils. A feast for the eyes, the characters lifelike expressions are both comical and endearing. The use of shadowing further enhances the illustrations, allowing the pigs to look more realistic. From their wrinkled pig noses, to their raised eyebrows and opened mouths for speech bubbles, the colors, lines, and details are Caldecott deserving.
This is not simply a book with amazing illustrations though. The story is delightful, superbly complementing the illustrations. As the pigs travel through the story, meeting other storybook characters, the reader is easily caught up in this world. Wordless double page spreads continue the story effortlessly through the illustrations. The pigs gleeful exhuberance is contagious, as Wiesner plays successfully with the text, enabling the pigs to catch stray letters the cumbersome dragon bumps from the story. This new version of the age-old story is sure to be a classic for generations to come.

4. REVIEW EXERPTS
Starred Review in School Library Journal: "Witty dialogue and physical comedy abound."

Starred Review in Booklist: "Wiesner has created a funny, wildly imagined tale that encourages kids to leap beyond the familiar..."

5. CONNECTIONS
* Look at other Caldecott Medal and Honor books by David Wiesner including:
Sector 7 ISBN 0395746566
Tuesday ISBN 0395551137
Free Fall ISBN 059045983X
Compare and contrast the illustrations and media used. Discuss different types of media that may be unfamiliar to children such as gouache.

* Compare this retelling of the Three Little Pigs to other versions of the story:
Seibert, Patricia. The Three Little Pigs. ISBN 1577683676
Scieszka, Jon. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf. ISBN 0140540563
Trivizas, Eugene. The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig. ISBN 068981528X