Asch, Frank. 1998. ZIGGY PIGGY AND THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. New York: Kids Can Press Ltd. ISBN 1550745158
2. Plot Summary
This light-hearted story is a retelling of the traditional beast tale THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. In this version there are four pigs instead of three - Ted, Fred, Ned, and Ziggy. You can probably guess who the "black sheep" of the family is. There are still houses made out of straw, sticks, and bricks constructed by the first three pigs, but Ziggy chooses not to build a home. He sleeps underneath the stars. Ziggy, being the care-free, playful soul that he is, asks each of his brothers to go swimming with him. To his dismay, his brothers tell him they cannot venture out with him because the BIG BAD WOLF is in town, and the three pigs are prepping their houses for the moment when the wolf decides to show up. Ziggy decides to go swimming despite the stern warnings of his brothers. While Ziggy is out having fun at the beach, the BIG BAD WOLF shows up at each one of the homes. The phrases, "Open your door or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in," and "Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin!" are still in this version, staying true to the "original" one. The twist here is that the house of brick actually does get blown down! So, the pigs run and find Ziggy on his raft at the beach. Ziggy has a genius idea, but his brothers are leery of a pig who never plans. In the end, the wolf's huffing and puffing and blowing backfire, and Ziggy's laid-back spirit saves the day. Oh, and he gets his swim in, too!
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Frank Asch's retelling of this story is simply fun and easy to follow. The subtle changes in the story, such as adding the fourth, almost "out cast" pig brother, and the twist of the brick house being blown down despite the brother Ned's reassurance that, "No one can blow down a house made of bricks," leaves just enough room for a less predictable, still satisfying plot line. The wolf still represents the human characteristics of slyness and villanousness, and the pigs still represent naivety and innocence. The introduction of the Ziggy character brings in a freshness to the story, adding the qualities of mellowness and intuitiveness. Ziggy's unhurried spirit saves the day, which is an ingenious way to enliven an old tale. The theme in the original story is along the lines of "ingenuity and smart thinking wins out", but in this newer version, there is more of a theme of "Do not worry about the future until it comes."
Asch's illustrations were drawn in pencil and then scanned into Adobe Photoshop. They are vibrant and simple and would grab the attention of any child. Each brother is told apart mainly by his choice of hat, and Ziggy's clothing is the most casual, with his blue jeans and striped shirt and bandanna. While the pictures remain very simple throughout the book, there are small details that are humorous and even ironic, such as when Ziggy is depicted sleeping underneath the stars, he is roasting a hot dog over the fire. When the wolf comes into the picture, the blowing down of the houses is quite dramatic with colored, wispy whirls drawn all about. The author did a nice job of making sure the characters' facial expressions helped to convey the words on the pages; however, the characters were plain. The wolf also seems to be a bit stale in this version; he is not quite as wicked as in other versions. This book may not be as memorable or interesting as the other versions of THE THREE LITTLE PIGS.
4. Review Excerpt(s)
LIBRARY TALK: "Children will enjoy the humor and playful language of this book. Useful in comparison units using famous folk tales and all their variants."
PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY: "Asch heightens the danger of the original by allowing the Wolf to blow down the third pig's brick house, but deprives the audience of a suitable comeuppance."
5. Connections
A. This story could be used to compare and contrast to other versions of the THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. Children could then write their own version after discussing the elements of simple plot and a traditional tale. B. This story also lends itself to a dramitization. It would be easy and fun to act out.
Other versions of THE THREE LITTLE PIGS:
Scieszka, John. 2006. THE TRUE STORY OF THE THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. ISBN 0140544518
Wiesner, David. 2001. THE THREE PIGS. ISBN 0618007016
Trivizas, Eugene. 1997. THE THREE LITTLE WOLVES AND THE BIG BAD PIG. ISBN 068981528X
No comments:
Post a Comment