1.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Wiesner, David. The Three Pigs. New York:
Clarion Books, 2001. ISBN 0618007016
2.
PLOT SUMMARY
This rendition of The
Three Little Pigs opens with watercolor drawings of the straw house and the
wolf barking, “Little pig, little pig, let me come in.” It continues with the
usual huffing and puffing and blowing the house in and the wolf eating the pig.
However, all that blowing actually blows the pig right out of the page and
continues with each pig escaping the wolf by walking off the storybook page.
An
amazing visual journey as Wiesner twists and turns the plot with the pigs in
control of their destiny. No longer a meal for the wolf, but on an adventure
flying high over pages and down into other nursery rhymes, gathering friends on
the return to the iconic brick house. With a little help from their dragon
friend, the wolf’s script tumbles into a pile of letters and the pigs write
their own “happily ever after” ending with their nursery rhyme friends.
3.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
David Wiesner’s artwork and imagination expand through
the pages of his three pigs and a wolf story interpretation on Fabriano hot
press paper using watercolor, gouache, colored inks, pencil, and colored
pencil. This is a book for children from ages 4 to 7 years old and for those
that desire to study Wiesner’s technique.
“Once upon a
time” begins this traditional folktale with the usual cast of characters, the
setting of three houses, and the wolf with his usual refrain, “Then I’ll huff
and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in!” but quickly the readers will be spellbound
as the pigs fall out of the storybook pages escaping to other magical realms
departing from the standard plot. Wiesner changes his art style throughout the
story to display the various tales the pigs visit. He uses muted watercolors to
realistic shading to show how the pigs appear to transform, and a three
dimensional effect is created as they romp across the double-page, bright-white
space laughing and pushing their old storybook pages out of their way with
their pink snouts and smiley grins.
The plot gathers momentum as the pigs fold
the wolf’s page into a paper airplane and are seen flying high and far away
with Wiesner’s use of white space over several pages. The pigs’ dialogue is
comparative to a graphic novel with the use of speech balloons and comic
lettering. The pigs visit a pastel nursery rhyme and a penciled, medieval
castle and dragon tale; however, the cat and the dragon are depicted in vibrant
colors as they emerge with the pigs. This comical cast of characters walks through a
gallery of standing storybook pages enticing the reader to predict if
another character might soon fall out. The action begins to fall as the pigs
head back to the brick house by smoothing out their crashed paper airplane
taking their friends with them. Staying true to the classic the wolf is scared
away and they all live happily ever after. This is an amazing journey into Wiesner’s
enchanted world leaving the reader wanting more!
Children will be engrossed as the unknown holds their
attention as they are carried away on this journey with the pigs and their new found
nursery rhyme friends. Wiesner’s visual
interpretation is astounding as the story never loses momentum or seems ordinary.
4.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Caldecott Medal Winner 2002
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year Winner
2001
American Library Association Notable Books for
Children Winner 2002
ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Awards Winner 2002
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books Nominated 2001
Original Voices Award Nomination 2002
Bluegrass Award Nomination 2003
Booksense Best Seller List
New York Times Best Seller List
Publishers Weekly Best Seller List
“Even the book's younger readers will understand the
distinctive visual code. As the pigs enter the confines of a storybook page,
they conform to that book's illustrative style, appearing as nursery-rhyme
friezes or comic-book line drawings.” From Publishers Weekly, February 26, 2001
“In this postmodern interpretation, the style of the
artwork shifts back and forth a few times, as Wiesner explores different
realities within a book's pages. There's a lot going on here, but once you get
your bearings, this is a fantastic journey told with a light touch.” From Horn
Book Guide, October 1, 2001
“Witty dialogue and physical comedy abound in this
inspired retelling of a familiar favorite.” From School Library Journal, April 1,
2001
5.
CONNECTIONS
Students explore David Wiesner’s blog reading his
biography and choosing his other books to read and make comparisons. http://www.hmhbooks.com/wiesner/index.html
Students enjoy two of David Wiesner’s apps on their iPad
for an adventure:
Art and Max Coloring Book app for students to paint
from four blank canvases. http://www.hmhbooks.com/wiesner/coloringbook.html
Students will study other “Three Little Pigs” stories
comparing story variants.
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