The Three Pigs [Hardcover]

David Wiesner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 23, 2001 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years | Series: Caldecott Medal Book

This Caldecott Medal-winning picture book begins placidly (and familiarly) enough, with three pigs collecting materials and going off to build houses of straw, sticks, and bricks. But the wolf’s huffing and puffing blows the first pig right out of the story . . . and into the realm of pure imagination. The transition signals the start of a freewheeling adventure with characteristic David Wiesner effects—cinematic flow, astonishing shifts of perspective, and sly humor, as well as episodes of flight.
Satisfying both as a story and as an exploration of the nature of story, The Three Pigs takes visual narrative to a new level. Dialogue balloons, text excerpts, and a wide variety of illustration styles guide the reader through a dazzling fantasy universe to the surprising and happy ending. Fans of Tuesday’s frogs and Sector 7’s clouds will be captivated by old friends—the Three Pigs of nursery fame and their companions—in a new guise.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Once upon a time three pigs built three houses, out of straw, sticks, and bricks. Along came a wolf, who huffed and puffed... So, you think you know the rest? Think again. With David Wiesner at the helm, it's never safe to assume too much. When the wolf approaches the first house, for example, and blows it in, he somehow manages to blow the pig right out of the story frame. The text continues on schedule--"...and ate the pig up"--but the perplexed expression on the wolf's face as he looks in vain for his ham dinner is priceless. One by one, the pigs exit the fairy tale's border and set off on an adventure of their own. Folding a page of their own story into a paper airplane, the pigs fly off to visit other storybooks, rescuing about-to-be-slain dragons and luring the cat and the fiddle out of their nursery rhyme.

Wiesner, Caldecott Medal recipient for Tuesday, and Caldecott Honor winner for both Sector 7 and Free Fall, prefers not to wait around until pigs fly. He gives them wings (or paper airplanes) and sets them on their way! In his latest flight of fancy, Wiesner uses shifting illustration styles and fonts to startle complacent readers into an imaginary world even as they ponder the conventional structure of story. His trademark crafty humor and skewed perspectives will tickle readers pink (even the nonporcine variety)! (Ages 4 and older) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

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. When the pigs emerge from the storybook pages into the meta-landscape, they appear photographically clear and crisp, with shadows and three dimensions. Wiesner's (Tuesday) brilliant use of white space and perspective (as the pigs fly to the upper right-hand corner of a spread on their makeshift plane, or as one pig's snout dominates a full page) evokes a feeling that the characters can navigate endless possibilities--and that the range of story itself is limitless. Ages 5-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (April 23, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780618007011
• ISBN-13: 978-0618007011
• ASIN: 0618007016
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 0.5 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (112 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,693 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Pigs

More About the Author

David Wiesner is one of the best-loved and most highly acclaimed picture book creators in the world. His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have won numerous awards in the United States and abroad. Three of the picture books he both wrote and illustrated became instant classics when they won the prestigious Caldecott Medal: Tuesday in 1992, The Three Pigs in 2002, and Flotsam in 2007, making him only the second person in the award's long history to have won three times. He has also received two Caldecott Honors, for Free Fall and Sector 7.

Wiesner grew up in suburban New Jersey, known to his classmates as "the kid who could draw." He went on to become a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he was able to commit himself to the full-time study of art and to explore further his passion for visual storytelling. He soon discovered that picture books were the perfect vehicle for his work.

Wiesner generally spends several years creating each new book. Many versions are sketched and revised until the story line flows smoothly and each image works the way he wants it to. He creates three-dimensional models of objects he can't observe in real life, such as flying pigs and lizards standing upright, to add authenticity to his drawings.

David Wiesner lives with his family outside Philadelphia.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars When Pigs Fly April 8, 2001

By Heidi Anne Heiner VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

In the blurb about the author, we are reminded of the wonderful ending to one of Wiesner's earlier books, "Tuesday," in which pigs fly (since frogs fly, too). Now the pigs get their own book and we can all be grateful for this new adventure.

At first, this book appears to be a beautifully illustrated retelling of the fairy tale classic, "The Three Little Pigs." But when the wolf blows one of the pigs out of the story, we quickly join the pigs on an unusual journey in which pigs fly, a cow jumps over the moon, and a dragon becomes a pig's best friend. The story is not predictable and the clever illustrations will require many rereadings to catch all of their nuances.

Wiesner's humor and gorgeous art will entertain children and any adult lucky enough to join in on the fun. This book will also make a great companion to another fractured fairy tale, Jon Scieszka's "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs."

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars No Ordinary Fairy Tale June 19, 2001

By Roz Levine

Format:Hardcover

Everyone knows the story of The Three Pigs. They build their houses of straw and wood and brick. The big bad wolf comes and huffs and puffs and... David Wiesner has taken this old tale and given it a clever and very inventive twist. Instead of being eaten, the pigs escape, take their book apart to confuse and keep the wolf away, build a paper airplane and fly off on a fairy tale adventure of their own. Mr Wiesner keeps his humorous text spare and simple and let's his marvelous artwork tell the story. Youngster's imaginations will soar as they examine the colorful, expressive and detailed illustrations. Perfect for children 4-8, The Three Pigs tells an old familiar story in a new, creative and innovative way and is a MUST for all home libraries.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Postmodern Version for Children and Adults March 1, 2002

By Bernard M. Patten VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Wow! This is one great book both for children and adults. The story is not The Three Little Pigs that we all know so well, but a postmodern version called The Three Pigs that expands laterally and not chronologically. The Three Little Pigs is a traditional modern tale whose moral is to postpone pleasure and protect yourself. The characters are flat, the story predictable, and, once you know it, dull. Here, in the postmodern version, the characters are multidimentional and the story not predictable. In fact, the pigs fall out of the text, complain about being eaten by the wolf, go on a paper airplane ride, meet up with the cat in the fiddle and a dragon, cutting across many different levels of culture. Adults may be puzzled, but the kids catch on right away and love it. Encouraged by the power of imagination, the kids start to make up their own versions. Parents, fear not. The pigs in David Wiesner's award winning version - all three of them - end up back at home in the brick house safe from the wolf and in famous company (dragon and cat), living happily ever after together.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awsome! March 6, 2002

By David J. Gannon

Format:Hardcover

David Wiesner comes from the Chris Van Allsburg school of writing for children. Like Van Allsburg, his books are highly creative and imaginative, the story is absorbing and entertaining, and, quite apart from all that, the illustrations are in a class of their own-stark and startling yet warm and accessible.

The Three Little pigs starts out as the classic story but then diverts down a very different, utterly delightful path before returning-sort of-to the traditional ending. The work, taken as a whole, is captivating and engrossing for child and adult alike. And, finally, like all great children's fiction, this is the sort of book one does not tire of-you are always ready to dive in yet once again with as great a sense of anticipation as when you tried it the first time.

I consider Van Allsburg's Polar Express and Jumanji to be among the best children's books ever produced. This book is in both that mold and of that class of effort.

A truly awesome book the whole family will enjoy for years to come.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Who's afraid of the big bad fourth wall? September 26, 2004

By E. R. Bird HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

I always thought of David Wiesner as the Magritte of the children's picture book world. Now, having read his delightful, "The Three Pigs", I see that he's far more innovative than I'd suspected. If this book had been proposed to a book editor, say, twenty years ago it probably would have been discarded as an idea that was "too sophisticated" for schoolchildren. I mean, prior to "The Three Pigs" what other book has ever dared to challenge the notion of the fourth wall? Mr. Wiesner's delightfully post-modern picture book is possibly one of the most intelligent stories you may ever read to your kids. And best of all, they'll love it. Deeply.

I think we're all familiar with the story of the three little pigs. Three pigs build houses of their own. The first is made of straw, the second of sticks, and the third of bricks. Then a big bad wolf comes along and blows the first house down. And that's when things start to get interesting. Instead of eating the pig (as the text instructs) the wolf is baffled to find the pig gone. In fact, Pig #1 has inadvertently been blown into the white margins of his own story. Able now to travel freely around the static pictures of his tale, Pig #1 has his two brothers join him in the margins. They construct one of the story's pictures into a paper airplane and fly it about. They walk in and out of other stories, making new friends along the way. Finally, it's time to return home and the pigs know the perfect way to make their tale have a happy ending.

First of all, this is a great way to get kids to question the very basic construction of all stories. If these pigs can escape their own fate, why not characters in other picture books as well? Wiesner has cleverly eschewed the idea of having the pigs appearing the same at all times.... When the pigs are in their story they're just your average illustrated pigs. When they get blown into the margins, however, they become the hyper-realistic pigs you see on the cover of the book. Then, depending on what the illustration style of any given picture is, they appear as that kind of drawing when they enter it. For example, a cutesy nursery rhyme makes the pigs appear as adorable roly-poly piggies (a fate they don't particularly take to). It's fascinating to watch Wiesner make the best possible use of space in this book, especially when you see how beautifully he utilizes pure white backgrounds. Matrix eat your heart out.

Another advantage to reading this delightful book are Wiesner's in-jokes and small details. If you're familiar with his other Caldecott medal winner, "Tuesday", then you know that it's about flying frogs. It should comes as a special delight then when the pigs oh-so casually pass a different book in which fish are flying in a manner mighty similar to the aforementioned story. Other details in this book include the sly cat with a fiddle who follows the pigs out of his own tale, or the tiny words in a storybook about a knight and his various quests. There's always something new in "The Three Pigs" to enjoy and marvel at when you read through the book. That's partly why it's so good.

There are few contemporary illustrator/authors living today that can claim to have more than one Caldecott medal under their belt. David Wiesner is one of the few. And "The Three Pigs" is my favorite Caldecott medal winner, bar none, of the last ten years. Even if you couldn't care less if your kids are familiar with books that challenge the paradigm of reading itself, you've gotta admit that this is a great story. A real tour de force. It's witty and appealing to kids and everything a Caldecott medal winner should be. A beautiful wonderful book. Read more ›