The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

Did the story of the three little pigs ever seem slightly biased to you? All that huffing and puffing--could one wolf really be so unequivocally evil? Finally, we get to hear the rest of the story, "as told to author Jon Scieszka," straight from the wolf's mouth. As Alexander T. Wolf explains it, the whole Big Bad Wolf thing was just a big misunderstanding. Al Wolf was minding his own business, making his granny a cake, when he realized he was out of a key ingredient. He innocently went from house to house to house (one made of straw, one of sticks, and one of bricks) asking to borrow a cup of sugar. Could he help it if he had a bad cold, causing him to sneeze gigantic, gale-force sneezes? Could he help it if pigs these days use shabby show more construction materials? And after the pigs had been ever-so-accidentally killed, well, who can blame him for having a snack? show less

Did the story of the three little pigs ever seem slightly biased to you? All that huffing and puffing--could one wolf really be so unequivocally evil? Finally, we get to hear the rest of the story, 'as told to author Jon Scieszka,' straight from the wolf's mouth. As Alexander T. Wolf explains it, the whole Big Bad Wolf thing was just a big misunderstanding. Al Wolf was minding his own business, making his granny a cake, when he realized he was out of a key ingredient. He innocently went from house to house to house (one made of straw, one of sticks, and one of bricks) asking to borrow a cup of sugar. Could he help it if he had a bad cold, causing him to sneeze gigantic, gale-force sneezes? Could he help it if pigs these days use shabby show more construction materials? And after the pigs had been ever-so-accidentally killed, well, who can blame him for having a snack? show less

I wish I could've read this book back in 1989 (curse you Baby-Sitters Club and Fear Street for taking up so much of my tween reading!) If I had known about and read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs way back then, my 11-year-old suspicions that just maybe the Wolf wasn't the monster he was made out to be would have been validated a lot earlier in my life. I loved Alexander T. Wolf's voice and the fact that he wore spectacles. But my favorite part about this story was that, at "The End", I was not 100% sure A. Wolf really was wrongfully convicted. Fun, fun, fun!

5 stars

This retelling of the Three Little Pigs gives a sympathetic ear to the Big Bad Wolf's perspective. According to the wolf, he is just a victim of circumstance, stricken by a sneezing cold while out trying to borrow a cup of sugar from his neighbors. The pigs died from shoddy craftsmanship, and the wolf ate them because, well, wolves eat pigs. By the time he got to the third house, that pig was so rude that the wolf lost his temper and only appeared like he was trying to break down the door when the police arrived. The end reveals the wolf has been telling this story while sitting in jail, a pig for his guard. Villain-as-protagonist stories are a lot more popular now than they were when this was first written, but this is still a great show more example of the trope. Could lead to some interesting exploration about reliability of narrative based on perspective. show less

I rememeber reading this book as a kid. I liked the reversal in roles and how the wolf was the nice guy while the pigs were assholes, but I really do wish they had used a different illustrator for this book.

We all know the story of the three little pigs and how awful that big bad wolf was. But do we know the truth behind the story? In this fracture fairytale we are told, and shown, the truth about what happened that day by the big bad wolf himself.

Oh, the giggles I encountered while reading this book. I never knew a book like this existed and I am so happy that it does because it gives another perspective that is truly brilliant. It honestly is such a great topic to introduce to children, especially in our world right now where people are being accused of things they didn't do on a daily basis. But, because they fit the "stereotype", they aren't treated fairly. The poor wolf just had a bad cold and was in the wrong place, at the wrong show more time. I love how this can encourage kids to think beyond the "original" fairytales they have been exposed to. Teaching them that there are always different perspectives and two side to every story. show less

A humorous retelling of The Three Little Pigs which casts the Big Bad Wolf, "Alexander T. Wolf," as the victim, telling the story from his point of view. The deaths of his pig neighbors was clearly an accident. He was simply visiting them to ask for a cup of sugar, sneezed, and then blew their houses down. Obviously, he couldn't let the perfectly good meals (i.e., their dead bodies) go to waste so he ate them. What's the matter with that? Illustrated in a unique, textural style by illustrator-author Lane Smith using oil paints.