9.4 /10 1 Votes
Cover artist Lane Smith Language English Pages 32 Originally published 1989 Genre Children's literature Page count 32 | 4.7/5 Barnes & Noble Country United States Publication date 1989 ISBN 0-14-054056-3 Illustrator Lane Smith Publisher Viking Press | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Similar Jon Scieszka books, Adaptation books, Children's literature | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Read out loud the true story of the three little pigs
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs is a children's book by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith. Released in a number of editions since its first release in 1989, it is a parody of The Three Little Pigs as told by the Big Bad Wolf, known in the book as "A. Wolf," short for "Alexander T. Wolf." The book was honored by the American Library Association as an ALA Notable Book.
Contents
Plot
This is the story of the 3 little pigs from the perspective of Alexander T. Wolf. The wolf is trying to set the story straight of how he came to be 'big and bad'. At the beginning of the book, he's cooking a cake for his grandmother's birthday, but he's run out of sugar. He goes to ask his neighbors, the pigs, for some sugar. They all say no to him, and as a result of a sneeze (due to a cold that he was suffering from), he 'accidentally' blows the first two pigs' houses down. Since they're already dead he eats them, saying that it would be terrible to let a "perfectly good pork dinner go to waste". The third pig's house (made of bricks) does not suffer the same fate. Mr. Wolf is arrested and the third pig survives. So Mr. Wolf is in jail and his poor sweet granny gets no birthday cake.
Critical Reception
Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association named the book one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children." It was one of the "Top 100 Picture Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by School Library Journal.