The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

BASIC DOCUMENTATION
Book Title: The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

Author(s): Jon Scieszka

Illustrator/Photographer/Artist: Lane Smith

Publisher: Scholastic

Copyright Date: 1989

Genre: Fairy Tale

Brief Annotation:
The wolf, from the fairy tale Three Little Pigs, explains his side of the story when he ‘accidently’ blew the pigs’ houses down. Mr. Wolf explains how he was innocent of hurting the pigs but the pigs were the antagonists of the story.


Your Rating (1-5) and why: 5
The book had me laughing at the different perspective a character can take.

Readers who will like this book:
Readers who enjoy fairy tales; fairy tales with a different 'spin'on the story; those that like humerous stories; and readers who enjoy reading about animals as characters.

Teaching Strategy from Yopp & Yopp :
Character Perspective Chart p. 78
I like the idea of using this book as a launching tool for introducing readers to other peoples perspectives and ideas. By making comparisons, readers can get a sense of how a person’s view of a situation or experience can change the story being told. This can also be used and applied to situations in the classroom.

Question to ask about this book before a read aloud:
After reviewing the original fairy tale…based on the review, who is telling the story? How do we know? Who is the bad guy?
This one is called, The True Story. Who could be telling this one? How do we know?
Predict who is going to be the villain of the story.


Optional, but noted as extra effort:

1. Interest Level (age): 5-8

2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 2.5


3. List awards
ALA Notable Book; School Library Journal Best Book of the Year;
NY Times Best Book of the Year;
Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year



Book Trailer:
www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=917&title=True_story_of_the_three_little_pigs