Big and Bad vs. Innocent Until Proven Guilty

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

Written by: Jon Scieszka

Illustrated by: Lane Smith 

Published by: Puffin Books, 1996

32 Pages

Traditional Literature

   A. Wolf has been arrested for the mischievous acts involving the three little pigs. We’ve all heard the story: “he huffed and puffed and blew their houses down”. Little do we know, A. Wolf has been framed. Can he change your perspective of the story we all know? Does he present a valid reason behind his actions?

   Lane Smith’s illustrations are mostly dark, using a lot of contrast between lights and shadows. The intelligent face on the wolf helps the reader form a connection with him. They often begin to think deeper about the text, and I believe the illustrations play a huge role in changing the readers mind about Wolf’s true character. 

    This book is perfect for a 3rd grade lesson on point of view. Readers could choose a side and debate whether they believe the wolf is big and bad like the original story, or innocent until proven guilty. They could also write a short opinion piece stating their decision and reasoning.
   ELL students: Some students, especially ELL, may not know the original story of the three little pigs. I would begin with the original story, then read this version. This book is also available in Spanish, so it might be easier for Spanish speaking students to follow along with that.