book pick: The Three Little Wolves...

folktales are classics that beg to be tampered with. and this week's silly book selection – The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury – puts more twists into the familiar folktale than inverting who's good and who's bad (for another hilarious take on that angle, read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf, as told to the famous Jon Scieszka, and illustrated by Lane Smith).

the Trivizas version is one all the daddies will love. there's a pneumatic drill, reinforced steel chains, a video entrance phone and a life-threatening explosion. but not to worry. all turns out well in the end – for the pig, too. (positively ambrosial flowers are involved.)




activity tie-in

(background image by puuikibeach)

teachers have fun with this book in their classrooms. and there's some fun to be had at home, too. i like the lesson extension by teacher Michele Higgins on Scholastic's teachers site (see a bunch of fractured fairy tale ideas here). Higgins helps kids take what they've learned about a classroom unit on folktales and create their own spin on "The Three Little Pigs" and "Three Little Wolves." it's simple: pick a corner of the world, and then an animal common to that area, and create your own "The Three Little _____" story.

stay tuned for our version! and start working on your own – email it to sillyissane@gmail.com and i'll share the best in an upcoming post. happy writing!

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