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It's dialogue centric and kid-friendly. David Wiesner's The Three Pigs is a hilariousu take on a traditional fairy tale. Children may be reluctant to pick this one up, thinking it's just a retelling of the traditional story, so it's important to encourage them to read it, letting them know there's a different story ahead for them. With simple writing and interactive (to say the least) illustrations, a child will easily be drawn into the story. It requires a familiarity for the traditional story, and should probably be read in conjunction with that tale, but both kids and adults will go crazy for this new adaptation. This is a fantastic book for children to really get to sit down with the story alone and have time to pay really close attention to and examine the illustrations, as they provide half the story that is untold in the dialogue. The variety found in the various styles of illustration are integral to the story, which is why I would not suggest this as a read-aloud, as those don't typically allow for great examinations of the images.
What an unusual book. The book tells the story as usual, until the Big Bad Wolf blows the first pig right off the page, and the pigs go and explore the outside world. This book is a wonderful way to engage children who think they are too old to be read to, and WAY too old for story books -- they already know the Three Pigs story, right. That's what THEY think. They wander through other story books and rescue other creatures, then come back to their own story to confront the wolf.Extraordinary. The illustrations are imaginative and magical.This book will not do for most three-year-old children, who want to hear the same story again and again -- it is for older children who will get the joke.
This is one of his best, I think, and he is consistently outstanding. Wolf." is enjoyable for both kids and adults. Like the best children's literature, "Wolf. "Wolf. This is a spectacular kids' book that both my 4 year old and 8 year old get a huge kick out of. David Wiesner is a great illustrator and storyteller who does something that is comparatively rare in children's books (or adults') -- he plays with the very act of storytelling. Wolf." really plays with storytelling and the very idea of a book which kids _will_ get and adults will appreciate also. I've been a graphic designer for many years, and this book is worthy of inclusion in a course on design.
The pigs wander in and out of dimensions and story pages on the wings of a wondrous paper airplane or on the hoof. And there are a words in here that will challenge readers in this age group like: fortune, dragon, treasure, determined, slay, guard, steed, mountaintop, diddle, castle.I like:The expression on the wolf's face baffled by the disappearing pigs is comical. In David Weisner's pigture book, "The Three Pigs", (not Little pigs) the big bad wolf is again outsmarted by three pigs, but in ways both unexpected and marvelous.This book brims with the unexpected, the uncommon, the unconventional. Kids in particular delight in this literary contrivance, particularly when paired with elements of surprise, the unexpected and the unconventional. We like to see the bad guy get his comeuppance, to see that utterly befuddled look on the villain's face when outsmarted by a righteous adversary. But I see it as more of a fun parlor trick by your Uncle Benny than an onstage David Copperfield extravaganza. With only 48 sentences, this picture driven book can be "read" and understood by those who can't decipher all the words. I'm not sure most four-year-olds could appreciate such creative wizardry as well.
The blending and blurring of dimension and place, the morphing of appearance and form, the transformation of an age old classic plot are all refreshing and creative conceits. The effect is most striking when they are halfway between dimensions, their body halves reflecting the tone and style of each.Most sites suggest this book for ages 4-8. We've seen it happen in movies, in television shows, in books, and maybe even in real life. The juxtaposition of coloring book detailed characters and those drawn with photographic detail is strikingThe author's creative use of white space on some pages is admirable and notable.The realistic, surrealistic, Dali-esque pictures of the flying fish dazzle the reader.I especially enjoyed Weisner's use of cascading letters, words crumbling into individual letters floating on the page and drifting to the bottom like so many autumn leaves"The Three Pigs" is an exploration of an author's creative possibilities. As they move from page to page, from world to world, story to story, their beings transform, morph to blend in with the page's theme and style. I shared this book with an extremely bright third grader who could appreciate the creativity of the author. Yet this buddy tale of animals on a quest picking up new friends on the way has been done before as have the author's previously mentioned inspired devices, though maybe not blended so well and in such a fashion.This is an excellent book, a magical book, with elements that can interest and entertain a wide age span of readers.
Four and five year olds love the Three Little Pigs, Pig, Pigger, Piggest, The Fourth Little Pig, and The Three LIttle Wolves. I read books to children for a living and love to do so. I road test many books and judge a book by the response I get from my students. They don't take to this one. It confuses them and the response is a group blank stare and telepathic "huh." I have tried it a few times and am now going to donate it.
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