Scieszka, J. (1989). The true story of the three little pigs by A. Wolf. New York, NY: Puffin Books.
This picture book demonstrates how conflicting stories can arise from the same event. Point of view is the focus of this story. With the majority of the pictures being encased in frames, the book reminds me of a scrapbook. The cover and back are illustrated to look like old newspaper clippings. Colors range from dark to neutral in tone. Pages are decorated with scrapbooking materials such as buttons and words cut out of different materials.
Told from the wolf's perspective, he was only wanting to borrow a cup of sugar when accidents happened that were beyond his control. A. Wolf couldn't help those tragedies. Those pigs (and everyone else) have it all wrong. He didn't intend to harm those 3 little pigs? Or did he? Students can identify with this because they will encounter different versions of stories from their friends in their everyday lives. This picture book makes an excellent read-aloud selection. At the high school level, I could use this book to teach point of view in conjunction with the original story.
Another excellent use of this book would be to use it to demonstrate voice. A. Wolf clearly has a distinct voice, filled with sarcasm and rhetorical questions. Older students could relate to this - even high school students.
Big Question(s): Why does the wolf mention cheeseburgers, second helpings, and so many other references to human food? Why did the wolf get so mad when Granny was mentioned?
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