I was very surprised during class this past Tuesday when we had a class discussion on the children’s book we just read called, The Three Pigs. As everyone may know, the book is a wild spin off of the typical/original version of “the three little pigs.” During this version, instead of the wolf eating the pigs after destroying their homes, the pigs somehow jumped out of the storybook and went on a little excursion through different children’s books and meeting new friends along the way.
The reason I said that I was very surprised during our discussion is because there were a number of people who did not like the book. I cannot remember the reasons, probably because I did not understand them since I thought it was a great book! The spin off of the original version was so surprising and fun to read. I remember having no idea where the author was taking the story line and it kept me so excited for what was coming next. Not only did the author make the spin off surprising, but he also included some hidden things that I think are important for children.
I think the author was representing the theme of trying new things and overcoming fears. The three pigs took such big risks by leaving the comforts of their storybook and then jumping into different stories they had obviously never been in before. They continually kept jumping into different books without looking back. The author also showed a good representation of this by having the three pigs meet new friends, which showed a positive outcome of trying new things and exploring. If you recall, at the end of the book, the dragon ended up scaring away the wolf when they jumped back into their own story. This was also a representation of a positive outcome of trying new friends, and having peers to help you overcome your fears, aka the wolf in the three pigs scenario.
Overall I thought this book was not only extremely interesting, but teaches children that not everything is predictable, and the opportunity to explore and overcome your fears are important aspects of life.
I completely agree! I was also shocked when some people said they did not like "The Three Pigs" because I thought it was a great revised version of the classic "The Three Little Pigs". Most everyone knows how the original tale goes, so I found it to be interesting to see the journey from the perspective of the pigs. I think people who read it and did not like it probably didn't because they were so accustomed to the original. But on the other hand, I personally stayed intrigued throughout the entirety of story because it was so different from how I was used to the story going. I also agree the book demonstrates to young children that not everything always has to go the way it is suppose to.
ReplyDeleteI went both ways with the story. I was able to appreciate the different stance that the author took on the book, and I was intrigued to keep turning the pages to find out what happened next. However I found myself completely unprepared for the way that the book went. It took reading it a few times in order to appreciate the messages in the story. Even after reading the book, I still prefer the original story over this new revised one. I think that this book is one that you must be totally engaged while reading, and that you must have an understanding of the original story in order to appreciate this one. I think that when you are reading stories to children, the original would be more effective.
ReplyDeleteThe book the Three Pigs by David Weisner was on that I did not enjoy. I think that it takes away from the original book and adds an odd twist. I believe that this book would be a bit confusing for children to understand. To begin, it starts out like the original, it makes it seem like it is going to be the classic. The pigs going from different stores seem like it could cause some confusion. If a child does not have previous knowledge of these different fairy tales they just won’t make sense. It is also hard to follow. It is hard to tell when the pigs are back in the original story or when they are just traveling. I think that this would not be a good read for young kids and they should stick wit h classic tale of the three little pigs.
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