THE THREE LITTLE PIGS

Yet another retelling of the classic fairy tale, updated for inclusivity and suitable for the board-book set, if somewhat lacking in whimsy and magic.

The familiar fable of the three little pigs is retold in simple language. This go-round, one of the piglets is a she, offering girls a chance to place themselves in the narrative. For the record, she’s the one who builds her house of sticks, so she’s slightly less lazy than pig No. 1 but less practical and ambitious than pig No. 3. The only visual suggestions of her gender are the frilled top of her overalls and eyelashes, a feature the other two lack even though they are both mammals as well. The storytelling is bare-bones; youngsters won’t be overwhelmed by the amount of detail, but exposition is quite skimpy even so. As the story opens, for example, the pigs bid their “mommy pig” and “daddy pig” farewell: “The time had come for the three little pigs to leave home.” The statement begs to be followed with, “... to make their homes and seek their fortunes,” but caregivers will have to fill that in on their own. Although geared to the audience, the lack of detail diminishes the fairy-tale quality of the story. Even a “Once upon a time” would help immeasurably. The artwork is well-executed but static, only really popping when the Big, Bad Wolf huffs and puffs. The simultaneously publishing Pinocchio is even more drastically stripped-down.

Adequate but unexceptional.