Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




'Three Little Pigs' Any Which Way You Want


Showing

Cover art for WOLF WON'T BITE!
CHILDREN'S
Released: March 20, 2012
by Emily Gravett, illustrated by Emily Gravett

"A slightly cryptic but satisfying wolf/pig reversal. (Picture book. 2-5)"
Three carny pigs push a patient wolf too far in Gravett's latest. Read full book review >
Cover art for HUFF & PUFF
CHILDREN'S
Released: March 1, 2012
by Claudia Rueda, illustrated by Claudia Rueda

"A good chance for youngsters to relish enacting the wicked role while still getting a (not particularly logical, but who cares) friendly reconciliation at the end. (Picture book. 1-3)"
This sweet little bare-bones version of "The Three Pigs" places readers in an active role. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE THREE LITTLE PIGS
CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 16, 2011
by Nosy Crow, illustrated by Ed Bryan, developed by Nosy Crow

"It amply shows that this old dog—er, pig—can still learn new tricks. (iPad storybook app. 5-7)"
This, the umpteenth app based on the familiar tale, rises far above most of its brethren. Read full book review >
Cover art for THREE LITTLE DASSIES
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2010
by Jan Brett, illustrated by Jan Brett

"Beguiling. (Picture book. 4-8)"
Mashing up the ever-popular English story of "The Three Little Pigs" with her Namibian experiences, Brett uses her magical watercolor-and-gouache paintings to create a distinctive visual world. Read full book review >
Cover art for TELL THE TRUTH, B.B. WOLF
CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 24, 2010
by Judy Sierra, illustrated by J.otto Seibold

"That's good news, as all fans of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and its teeming clan will agree. (Picture book/folktale/spoof. 6-8)"
His social standing having been restored in Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf (2007), the old folktale bad guy is invited back to the library—this time to tell the story of "The Three Little Pigs." Read full book review >
Cover art for THE THREE LITTLE PIGS
CHILDREN'S
Released: June 1, 2010

"And why, in this time of eco-consciousness, does he disdain the recycled house of scraps? (Picture book. 3-6)"
Porkers in glass houses shouldn't meet wolves. Read full book review >
Cover art for WOLF PIE
CHILDREN'S
Released: June 1, 2010
by Brenda Seabrooke, illustrated by Liz Callen

"Callen's humorous, vibrant multimedia art deftly matches the tone of Seabrooke's amusing tale, resulting in a winning collaboration for independent readers ready to move on to meatier texts. (Early reader. 6-8)"
Deviating from traditional retellings of "The Three Little Pigs," James, Marvin and Lester Pygg build one brick house together at the start of this lively, accessible fractured tale. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE THREE LITTLE GATORS
CHILDREN'S
Released: March 1, 2009
by Helen Ketteman, illustrated by Will Terry

"Brisk fun. (Picture book. 3-6)"
What if the Big Bad Wolf was actually a Big-bottomed Boar; and the Three Little Pigs...? Read full book review >
Cover art for BIG AND BAD
CHILDREN'S
Released: March 31, 2008

"A good cut above most of Delessert's recent work, this variant should find a ready audience of young readers and listeners. (Picture book/folktale. 7-9)"
Delessert's distinctive art adds a stylish note to this re-envisioned version of "Three Little Pigs." Read full book review >
Cover art for THE THREE SWINGIN’ PIGS
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2007
by Vicky Rubin, illustrated by Rhode Montijo

"Montijo's red-hot pictures and Rubin's skit-scat-skedoodle words make this take-off a hand-clapping, foot-stomping romp. (Picture book. 6-8)"
Though as big and baaaaaad as ever—"I'm a classic fairy-tale villain," he proudly proclaims—the wolf has no better luck chowing down on jazz-combo piggies Satch, Mo and Ella than he did with their uncles in that other tale. Read full book review >
Cover art for THREE LITTLE CAJUN PIGS
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2006
by Mike Artell, illustrated by Jim Harris

"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. (glossary) (Picture book. 4-8)"
The team behind the award-winning Petite-Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood (2001) now turns their talents to the story of the three little pigs. Read full book review >
Cover art for WHERE’S THE BIG BAD WOLF?
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 23, 2002

Three little pigs get some real bad advice from a wolf in a real goofy sheep disguise in this comical whodunit. Read full book review >
Cover art for WAIT! NO PAINT!
CHILDREN'S
Released: June 30, 2001
by Bruce Whatley, illustrated by Bruce Whatley

"It's a sophisticated concept, though—use it with children who are beginning to understand what an illustrator is, and pair it with Janet Stevens's From Pictures to Words (1995) for a thorough treatment. (Picture book. 6-9)"
Cover art for THE THREE PIGS
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 23, 2001
by David Wiesner, illustrated by David Wiesner

"On the last few pages, the final words of the text break apart, sending letters drifting down into the illustrations to show us that once we have ventured out into the wider world, our stories never stay the same. (Picture book. 5-9)"
With this inventive retelling, Caldecott Medalist Wiesner (Tuesday, 1991) plays with literary conventions in a manner not seen since Scieszka's The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (1993). Read full book review >
Cover art for THE THREE LITTLE PIGS
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2001
adapted by Barry Moser, illustrated by Barry Moser

"Never has that big bad wolf been better served. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)"
The chubby piglets are very small, the wolf big, bony, and very bad, in this sly retelling of the familiar tale. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE THREE LITTLE RABBITS
CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 1, 2001
by Ivan Gantschev, illustrated by Ivan Gantschev

"A pleasant diversion. (Picture book. 3-8)"
Glorious watercolors in a distinctive style are the highlight of this Balkan variation of "The Three Little Pigs," retold by Gantschev (Where the Moon Lives, 1998), who attended art school in Bulgaria and now lives in Germany. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE THREE LITTLE PIGS
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 1997

"A talent-strewn retelling that only enhances the original. (Picture book/folklore. 5-9)"
 Kellogg (I Was Born About 10,000 Years Ago, 1996, etc.) puts a master's spin on another familiar tale. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE THREE LITTLE WOLVES AND THE BIG BAD PIG
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 30, 1993
by Eugene Trivizas, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

"Oxenbury provides dauntingly well- executed watercolors, offering such charming contrasts as an angular modernistic concrete home in an otherwise pastoral setting. (Picture book. 5-10)"
Never mind the other incarnations of this tale—classic, fractured, rapped; this inversion will have children giggling from the outset. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE THREE LITTLE PIGS
CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 1, 1992
adapted by Charlotte Voake, illustrated by Charlotte Voake

"An attractive collection that leaves plenty to the visual imagination; an excellent choice for home, classroom, or library. (Folklore/Picture book. 2-8)"
 Ten tales in fine versions for reading or telling, some a bit changed or updated, as if by a skilled teller, or with the violence toned down (the little pig still cooks the wolf but doesn't eat him; Red Riding Hood survives, as she does in the Grimm's version), but essentially traditional in language and event. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE TRUE STORY OF THE 3 LITTLE PIGS
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 1989
by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith

"Not for little children, but middle grades and up should be entertained while taking the point about the unreliability of witnesses."
One of life's more important lessons is that a second view of the same events may yield a story that is entirely different from another but equally "true." Read full book review >