Wonderful Books from the Past: The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

The True Story of The 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith

While I do not remember reading The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs when I was younger, I do remember reading this story to a child I used to mentor while I was in high school. I also remember how much my mentee enjoyed the book. Remembering how receptive that particular individual was to this book reminds me of the joy of reading – something that as a college student, I have lost sight of.

During your college years, it is difficult to squeeze in reading for leisure and pleasure but, if you love reading from youth, occasionally you can remember the pleasure that can be associated with reading. The True Story of The 3 Three Little Pigs is a marvelous read as well as a marvelous book from the past because it is 1. Quite funny (Alexander T. Wolf has an interesting sense of humor and delivery), 2. It still accomplishes the goal of teaching children (considering an alternative perspective), and 3. It incites the imagination (how can you finagle stories to tell a radically different version?).

Another thing that makes this story particularly entertaining is its ability to be applied contemporarily as well as its ability to be used practically in a fun way. This is a fun and lighthearted way of introducing the concept of justice and trying to decipher what is believable, what is improbable and what you may not have ever considered. I think Scieszka did a wonderful job of restoring fun without being overbearingly didactic with this book. I think it will be hard to find a kid who won’t enjoy the ridiculousness (or is it wisdom?) of this book and I appreciate what this book has to offer, even past the age when this is just funny.

Happy Reading!

-Alexandria