The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith
What if I told you that the Big Bad Wolf didn’t mean to blow down the straw and stick homes of the little pigs, but that he actually just happened to have a really bad cold that day and, let’s face it, as a big wolf (his badness is still unverified), he’s going to have some big sneezes. As for the pigs, well, it’s not the wolf’s fault they used such substandard construction materials. I mean, really: who ever heard of building a house out of straw? And sticks?! There’s no way a house made of sticks could possibly stand up to the powerful sneezes of a sick wolf! He was just trying to make a cake for his granny and needed to go to his neighbors’ houses for an ingredient when his cold took over and he started sneezing. So, see, as Alexander T. Wolf wants readers to know, this whole “big bad wolf” rap is really just a big bad misunderstanding.
Just like he did in “The Frog Prince, Continued,” author Jon Scieszka has taken a very traditional fairy tale and turned it on its head. This time he is retelling the story of the Three Little Pigs from the perspective of the Big Bad Wolf, who has decided it’s high time the truth is told about what really happened. Accompanying Scieszka’s story are quirky illustrations by Lane Smith, which only add to the cleverness of this delightful picture book. Developer habits.
I have learned of this version way back in college when my college professor shared this story in class. I found it amusing to have heard a new perspective of the fairytale.