Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Schultz
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Charming, sweetly illustrated version of classic story.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
A mother pig sends her THREE LITTLE PIGS out into the world to seek their fortunes, and each builds a house. The first little pig builds a house of straw, but a wolf blows down that house and eats the pig. The second little pig builds a house of sticks, but the same wolf blows it down and eats the pig. The third pig builds a strong house of bricks, so when the wolf comes to the door, he can't blow the house down. The wolf devises several schemes to trick the third pig into leaving his house so the wolf can eat him, but the pig outsmarts the wolf every time. Finally, the wolf tries to sneak down the pig's chimney, but the pig places a pot of water to boil over the fire, and when the wolf falls in, the pig cooks the wolf and eats him for supper.
Is It Any Good?
This sweetly illustrated edition of the classic story is a faithful retelling, for good and bad. Parents looking for an updated, softer version of the folk tale in which the pigs are all spared will want to look elsewhere, but those interested in an untempered version -- complete with "chinny chin chins" -- will appreciate this authentic approach.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about different versions of the Three Little Pigs story. Have you heard this story before? Was it different from or the same as what happens in this book?
How does the illustrator make the wolf look scary?
If you were going to build a house, what would you use to build it?
Book Details
- Authors :
- Illustrators : Paul Galdone , Joanna C. Galdone
- Genre : Folklore
- Topics : Animals
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Publication date : March 21, 2011
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 48
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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