LITTLE PIG AND THE BIG BAD WOLF

Taking off from the third little pig's encounters with the wolf, this series of rhymed confrontations begins in an apple tree (with Mr. Wolf pretending an interest in the fruit and Little Pig aware ""that the wolf preferred pork pies"") and proceeds from there to some new but nicely congruous settings: the truck in which Little Pig takes his produce to market, the town where he trades, a churchyard at midnight, and finally the wolf's own fireside. The wolf pursues his potential ham and sausages ""with every kind of trick"" but the pig consistently outwits him, disarming the predator in the end with a Christmas gift of puddings, mince pies, wine and balloons. The subdued slyness of the verse is echoed in the Wilds' wickedly expressive black and white pictures; all of it is accomplished with a quiet flair and felicitously anchored in the folktale.