From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3–A hilarious version of the familiar tale. The pigs are named Trosclair, Thibodeaux, and Ulysse (also know as Boo), and their antagonist is Ol' Claude, the alligator of
Petite Rouge infamy (Dial, 2001), who finishes off the straw and stick houses with a flap of his tail: 'Oh piggy,' say Claude with dat big gator smile,/'Could I come inside of you house for a while?'/Dat's when Trosclair shout, '
No! I won't let you in;/Not by all dem hairs dat I got on my chin.' The gator is let off easy at the end: he is nursing a burnt tail from an encounter with Ulysse's roux, but is rescued by the pigs from becoming gumbo. Harris's amusing watercolor-and-pencil illustrations mirror the text with élan; they are full of funny details that beg to be looked at again and again (the little mouse is also back). Front matter includes a glossary of some Cajun words and a note about the rhyme scheme that facilitates reading the story aloud. Although Cajun variations on folktales are becoming plentiful, this one should not be missed.
–Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"This retelling of the traditional story is Cajun both in language and lesson. Emphasizing devotion to family and extending others the benefit of the doubt, it also conveys the very Cajun notion that there are few situations that cannot be improved with a big pot of gumbo among friends." —Kirkus Reviews
