Book Review: The Three Little Pigs retold by Barry Moser

Bibliography: 
Moser, Barry. (2001). The Three Little Pigs. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0316585440.

Plot Summary:
Three pigs set out on their own in the world. One pig builds a house of straw and the big bad wolf blows it down and eats the pig. The second pig builds a home from sticks and the wolf blows the house down and eats him, too. The third pig builds a home out of brick. The wolf tries to blow the house in, but fails. The wolf tries to trick the pig, but the pig always outsmarts the wolf. In the end, the third pig has a nice wolf stew for dinner.

Critical Analysis: 
Moser is both the author and the illustrator of this book. This adaptation of the traditional Three Little Pigs is hilarious and outrageous. The style of the book is traditional with a very modern flare. The story will be familiar to children with some new details thrown in. For example, the pigs leave home on Valentine's day! The story would work well with both self reading or as a read aloud. As a read aloud it allows the reader to point out the fun details like the "Wolf Cook" book at the end.

The characters in the book are predominately male. The only female is the mother, crying as her boys go away on the first page. All the characters are very detailed. By the end of the book, you can see the hunger in the wolf's eyes and see his ribs. One minor detail I took note of when brainstorming about the characters was the one pig who had a teddy bear with him at the beginning of the story. Perhaps he was the baby of the family or perhaps he was the weak runt. It was interesting to see him as the first pig to be eaten by the big bad wolf.

Illustrations throughout the book are detailed. Emotions are very present in the faces of each character. For example, when the big bad wolf eats the second pig, a nice empty bottle of "PigA Pepper Sauce" is beside him while he wipes his mouth with a napkin. Pig three builds his house with brick and "Wolfe Pruf Cement." The little details really make the reader laugh out loud! The illustrations bring a lot to the text of the folktale.

Awards:
To my knowledge, this particular book by Barry Moser does not have any awards. Moser does have awards for other texts.
Review excerpt from the School Library Journal: "Well written and cleverly illustrated, the book is the perfect choice for replacing tattered editions with inferior illustrations that may be cluttering library shelves or a fine first pick for a growing library." -Jody McCoy, The BushSchool.

Connections:
--Holiday connection: The story takes place on Valentine's Day
--Literature connection: Compare and contrast other "Three Little Pigs" variations
--Author/Illustrator Study: Example of books to include - Earthquack!, Lousy Rotten Stinkin' Grapes, The Three Silly Billies, and Dogs of Myth: Tales From Around the World
--Begin a study on pigs and/or wolves
--Science connection: Open a study about air (blowing, air pressure, etc.)

Sources:
School Library Journal. "Six Transplanted Tales." School Library Journal, November 27, 2007. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6505748.html