Childhood Revisited: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf

So I was walking through the bookstore the other day looking for inspiration.  Inspiration for what?  (Oh, how kind of you to ask!) I was looking for a book that I could post a review on for this very post as currently the ones I have finished won't see the light of the internet for a few more days at least (one is waiting for the upcoming release date during the first week of February and the other is waiting on the book tour next week).  What to do, what to do.  As I was perusing the shelves, I stopped at the sight of a familiar cover.  Now not that this is such a rare occurance....I mean for most book bloggers and avid readers, the cover recognition situation happens more often than not.  What stopped me was the fact that this book was one that I read back in fifth grade, so I'd have thought you would need to order the title in to be available...apparantly not with this particular book!  For all those that haven't seen this one, I offer it for the post today.  Today's book of choice is....

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

by

A. Wolf

as told to

Jon Scieszka

illustrated by

Lane Smith

So you think you know the story of the three little pigs?  Well, as with any story, there are always multiple viewpoints to consider.  The original story was shared by the media and the little pigs supporters, but this rendition asks you to consider the wolf's point of view, if you would please.  You see, apparantly the whole event was a misunderstanding brought about by the innocent search for a cup of sugar, one allergetic wolf, and the ill-timed comments of one rude little pig.  That's right!  The wolf was framed!  (dun, dun, dun.......)

In this entirely delightful book (Over enthusiastic in my description?  Nope.  It's really that good!), A. Wolf (gotta love the joke there) explains to readers that he never intended to finish off the first two little pigs.  It was merely a matter of events and coincidence that the first two ended up "as dead as a doornail" (gotta love the quote...it happens at the end of piggy one's and piggy two's story).  Was he really suppose to let food spoil?  Most parents taught their children better than that...the Wolf was as well!  How was he to know that the third neighbor and brother of the first two pigs was going to insult his family?  Just goes to show you that you should always put your best face forward and try not to insult anyone....lest you be eaten by a wayward wolf-ish type neighbor as the case may be!

I have to admit, I loved this book when we were assigned it as part of a classic story re-take project back in school.  It's short enough to be enjoyed by younger readers, interesting enough to ensnare those young at heart and the colorful enough to invite the imagination.  Speaking of color....the illustrations only ADD to this treasure.  The wolf with his scholarly and reserved air.  The pig's are given a little more of an ornery appearance as opposed to the sweetness that is often displayed in the original story....and may I say that the way they are depicted meetings their ends....definitely brings a smile.

If you have not read this book, may I recommend it to you?  (if not...sorry, I think I just did anyway....) It will only take a small window of your time, but will help add to a lifetime of literary memories.  Share it with others, read it for yourself....either way, you simply should read this book.  (okay, okay...I'm done....promise.)  One last thing, if you follow the link in the title, you will be on Scholastic's website regarding the book where they have extension activities should you be interested in utilizing the book for a classroom-type purpose.  Also, the author's name and the illustrator's name both link to their sites....both rather interesting indeed. (okay, NOW I'm done.)

Until next time....happy reading!