Picture book #9

Author:  Jon Scieszka
Title:  The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs
Illustrator:  Lane Smith
Readability score:  Kindergarten to Grade 3
Genre:  Fiction
Subgenre:  Fable, Fairy Tale
Theme:  Don't judge a book by it's cover.  There are two sides to every story.
Primary and secondary characters:  Alexander T. Wolf, the three little pigs.
Awards:  ALA Notable Book, NY Times Best Book of the Year
Date of Publication:  1989
Publishing Company:  Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN number:  0-590-44357-7

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs is story of the Three Little Pigs told from the wolf's point of view.  He tells how the story really happened.  He says that one day he was baking a cake for his dear old granny.  He had a cold and he ran out of sugar.  He decided that he would go to his neighbor to ask for a cup of sugar.  His neighbor was a pig who had built his home out of straw.  He knocked on the straw door and it fell over.  He called but no one answered.  He started to feel a sneeze coming on.  He sneezed so hard that the straw house came down and the pig was dead in the rubble.  Wolf could not let the pig go to waste, so he ate it.  He still needed sugar, so he went to the next pig's house, which was made of sticks.  He knocked on the door and the pig called out for him to go away.  Wolf sneezed again and the house of sticks came down, killing the Second Little Pig.  Wolf could not leave him there, so he ate the pig.  Wolf still needed sugar, so he went to the Third Little Pig, who had made his home with bricks.  Wolf knocked and the pig told him to go away.  Wolf sneezed again, but the house stayed in tact.  He was really mad at this point.  All he wanted was a cup of sugar.  He started huffing and puffing.  The police came and arrested Wolf.  The news reporters made him the Big Bad Wolf.

This story is a classic example of children's literature.  Everyone has read the original story about the Three Little Pigs.  This story puts a spin on the original version, in which the Wolf is the main character.  This book could be used to help young students learn how to compare and contrast two books.  I would read the Three Little Pigs aloud to the students.  Then, I would read The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs aloud.  I would give each student a copy of a Venn diagram.  On one side, the students would write the title, The Three Little Pigs.  On the other side, they would write The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs.  I would explain what the words compare and contrast mean, although I might use simple language, such as alike and different.  I would ask the students to give some of the similarities between the books.  They might give examples like there was a wolf in each story.  They might say that there were three pigs who lived in three different houses.  Then, I would ask the students to jot these ideas down using complete sentences.  Next, I would ask the students to give some differences.  For example, a student might say that the wolf was framed.  He did not blow the houses down on purpose.  He was sick.  There are many differences the students might come up with.  I would ask them to write these ideas down in complete sentences as well.  The students will then be able to decipher similarities and differences and they will be able to see their ideas on the graphic organizer.