The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf

by Mark Teague

"A wacky twist on The Three Little Pigs nursery rhyme finds two of the pigs eating junk food while the third pig tends a veggie-filled garden, and the wolf passes out after trying to blow down the third house. The pigs take him in, and it turns out they can all live happily ever after, as long as everyone keeps their room clean. A fun new experience of a classic tale." - Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor

Three little pigs, a somewhat bad wolf, sody-pop, chips, hay, mortar, bricks, and some huffing and puffing!

Award-winning author and illustrator Mark Teague tells his humorous version of "The Three Little Pigs" with a zany twist!

Three pigs spend their money on different potato chips, sody-pop, and building supplies. It comes as no surprise that a wolf is able to blow down the first two pigs' houses. When the wolf can't blow down the third pig's brick house, everyone comes together and the fun begins. The first two pigs give him potato chips and sody-pop, and the third pig makes everyone a healthy meal. Since only one pig has a house left, the other two pigs and the wolf move in with her. The somewhat bad wolf is no longer hungry.

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Fractured Fairy Tales, Animals, Storytime, Humor

48 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2013

About the author

Mark Teague has delighted young readers with more than 20 picture books, and he has written many of them himself, including the popular Pigsty, Baby Tamer, and One Halloween Night. He is also the illustrator of Cynthia Rylant's beloved Poppleton series for beginning readers and the best-selling books by Jane Yolen, How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight and How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon.

Mark Teague's life changed when he moved from San Diego to New York City and he planted the seed for his first picture book, The Trouble with the Johnsons. Each of Teague's books start as "notebooks full of sketches and scribbles, strange little drawings and phrases that suddenly come together," Teague explains. And although he had no formal writing training, his endless imagination and understanding nature gives him a permanent place in the hearts of everyone.

Mark and his wife live in Coxsackie, New York, with their young daughter Lily, who has a great time watching her dad paint the pictures in his books.

Reviews

[Kristen Mulvihill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I prefer to read the original story of a famous tale rather than a retelling that might be too bizarre. This book, however, doesn't stray very far from the content and the themes of the original story of the Three Little Pigs. The language, particularly the speech pattern of the wolf, is contemporary and enjoyable for reading out loud to one child or a group of children. The changes that Mark Teague has made to the original tale, most importantly, result in an additional theme -- the importance of eating healthy foods. Children will enjoy the repetition of a well-known tale and the contemporary language and wit to be heard when reading this book out loud. Adults will enjoy the humor in subtleties in the illustrations as well as some of the modern features of the characters and the world portrayed by Mark Teague. I highly recommend this book for reading out loud in a preschool/toddler storytime, especially if the storyteller is able to encourage the children to participate in the telling of the story.

[Alicia Justice · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far my favorite book so far that I have read with my kids this year. I would have to say the same for my kids as well. They have asked to read this book over and over and over, and they already know the words by heart.



The illustrations in this cute story are exquisite and the plot is what you would expect, well mostly up until the end that is. I don't want to give it away, but I loved how the author changed up this well known story a bit. This story has become one of my kids favorites and I recommend it to anyone with kids.



The words are a little bit harder for my five year old by Samantha my eight year old reads this book to me. This children's author is one that we will be trying to find more of his books to read.

[Liz C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun take on a classic tale that doesn't deviate too far away.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Text-to-Text Connection

"The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf" reminds me of one of my favorite childhood books "The Three Little Pigs". As a shared reading activity I would read both books to my students. After doing so we would compare and contrast the details of the two stories using a Venn diagram. As an individualized assessment I would have each student choose one of the two books to create a trifold display describing the beginning, middle, and end of the story. This activity can easily be differentiated by providing sentence starters, allowing some students to only use illustrations to retell the story, and encouraging students to include labels and detail to their illustrations by incorporating the sight word wall.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun rendition of a popular tale.

[Jaimee Huskins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a cute story. The three pigs start out moving out of their parents and have money to buy a house or whatever they want. One pig likes chips the other sody pop and the other is just smart and likes to do what is smart. The pictures are made with oil painting. The para text shows all the things the pigs like to do before the story begins. The end has a very good twist.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually, I pick books to bring from the library for my daughter that I have an interest in, and I like clever re-writes of well know tales. In this case, she was the one who brought it home from her school's library.

This book's innovative twist has the familiar pigs from the traditional story, but the wolf is not the nefarious scoundrel he has been purported to be.

An entertaining story.

[Karen Mahtin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new take on the Three Little Pigs story. Very cute book. The main downside is that 2 of the pigs eat junk food all the time.

[Jessica Calaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 - 5 years


*Sharing and being friends.

[Elizabeth S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this to get a whole new feel for the wolf's perspective. Very fulfilling ending.

[Carolanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine one to add to your "Three Little Pigs" collection.

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teague's oil paintings please me as does his inclusion of the ubiquitous chair. I don't especially care for the gender roles here, nor the food shaming, and I have serious questions about a plot point. What is it the farmer is paying the pigs for? I mean, he's not eating them, so what kind of job have the done to get severance? Yes, the pigs need funds to go shop but getting paid is less probable to me than, say winning the lottery

Regardless, it's a new twist on a familiar story, it has humor, and Teague gets a lot of mileage out of unconventional pig behavior. AND there is a valid, non-food or -building code-based solution to the pig vs. wolf conundrum, for which I am grateful. The cat and duck walk-ons are good too.

(edited 25 May to correct the myriad phone typing based typos that I can't even blame on auto correct. Just me, being well advanced into adult years before phones had keyboards, and clumsy withal)

Library copy

[Katriel Jernigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an excellent spin-off of an old tale, the Three Little Pigs. After the three pigs had to move off the farm, one pig bought potato chips and straw to build their house, the second bought sody-pop and sticks, and the third bought bricks and mortar to build her house. After the hungry and somewhat scary wolf comes to town, he tries to blow each pig's house down... just like the classic. Yet this time, the story ends with a twist.

I enjoyed this book very much. The illustrations of the pigs were adorable, and I loved how the book ended. It's a great book for kids to read, and it also has a few big words to help widen their vocabulary.

This book can be used in a classroom to show students that bullying can be reversed by being kind. It can also help kids make friends even with people who are not nice to them.

[Judi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and ironic - also there is a mystery between the lines. This is for middle to upper elementary who already know the classic story of the Three Little Pigs. Great for comparison and why does the wolf keep blowing pigs houses down - but then not eating the pig who lives there? Isn't it interesting that the 2 boy pigs are lazy and slovenly - they only want junk food, they don't care about making a sturdy house--while their SISTER prefers to organize and carefully build a brick house? I wonder if kids would pick up on that? it's not an important detail of the story, it could be missed and no big deal. The illustrations are pure stylistic, Mark Teague. Awesome book!

[Audrey Arnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf by Mark Teague is a really great take on the classic The Three Little Pigs. The story makes the classic a little more modern and lively for kids now. I think this book would be a great book to read if you wanted to talk about fairy tales in class. I also think this would make for a great comparison lesson, by reading the original three little pigs and then reading this version and having the class compare the two. I think this story is so cute and really makes you like the wolf a little bit more than in the classic. This book is cute and the illustrations are very fun. Overall I really liked the book.

[Adams Eagles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jorge C.
10

Review:

They lived on a farm, as most pigs are. Then one day the farmer told them that he and his wife were moving to Florida. He paid the pigs for their good work and sent them on their way.They were dirty. Finally the brick house was finished. It was big, and strong. The third pig was very happy. Read to see what happens next.

I liked when the three little pigs were happy the wolf didn’t eat them. I did not like when the wolf was mad because the adults were scared of the wolf.

Yes, I recommend this book. I think it is good for second and third grade.

[Spencer Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an interesting take on the story of the three pigs and the wolf. I liked the illustrations and how they each had their own thing that they liked and wanted to do. I also like how it has a positive outlook on the wolf at the end because he was so hungry. I think it also displays a good message of being kind even to your “enemies”. This book is animal fantasy and in the 2nd-5th grade range

[Leah Hahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very cute, my daughter liked it a lot. It is a play on the traditional three little pigs, only this time, the big bad wolf, is not all bad. He came in to town very hungry, but none of the restaurants would let him inside. So, still starving, he started walking, and found the homes of the three little pigs.
The somewhat bad wolf mad some somewhat bad choices due to being "hangry".
This book was very cute, and I would recommend it to young readers.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star rating: 5
Copyright date: 2013
Theme: Sharing, friendship and rules.

My favorite part of this book was the spin on the original book. I liked how the wolf didn't turn out so bad after all and they all became friends. I enjoyed the modern drawings in this book as well. I would share this book to my class to show that sharing is caring. Especially if someone isn't feeling well it is nice to ask them if they need anything.

[Paige Riechmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of my favorites. I love reading it to my students. It is about a wolf and the three little pigs, and whether they can get along. The story keeps the original structure of the Three Little Pigs but adds some twists. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with young kids. They will love to listen to it, especially if you are really dramatic while reading the book. I will definitely be adding this to my classroom library.

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

This version is different from the original all the way through. It is very funny and cleverly written. The ending is very different from what kids will expect and it will spark some discussion. It has great illustrations - colorful and fun! Kids will love this one. I would definitely buy for school. Highly recommended for Grades K-3.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

My students always love this creative, amusing adaption of The Three Little Pigs. The three pigs even have different choices in food and drink that emphasizes their personalities. You have some sympathy for the starving wolf in this one. Good for talking about stories with different points of view.

[Katelynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was so happy to find this one today! Every other Little Pigs book at my library is the OG fairy tale where the last pig boils the wolf alive (after hiding in a butter churn) - not really what I wanted to read for an upcoming second grade visit. With Mark Teague’s usual fun, detailed illustrations and humor, this is a playful, funny rendition of the original story.

[Tessa Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book told the classic story that we all know about the three little pigs and the big bad wolf, but the author added his very own twist on the story. I think by adding this made the story more enjoyable to read. After rereading the classic story a bunch of times it is nice to read something different.

[Reanna Holycross · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a twist on the classic three little pigs story and it incorporates more modern objects, such as scooters and chips. The ending is happy and it is very appropriate for younger students. The pigs also are more personified in this story and they each have their own lifestyle they live. The illustrations are very well done and realistic.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a different version of the well-known Three Little Pigs. In this version the reader gets to participate in the story by answering questions, for example, how would you describe each pig? The story has humour, funny situations and conversations that add to the story, great illustrations, and a very different ending. This is a story playbook which the reader can contribute ideas to and even make up their own ending for; there are tips and suggestions to help.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a splendid adaption of the original "Three Little Pigs" with their expressive personalities. These are plump piggies that love to eat. The practically three dimensional illustrations almost pop right out of the page, especially when the wolf doesn't get his way! It's fun to read aloud with all of the animal's voices. A sure hit for storytime!

[Erin Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is pretty close to the original, but slight changes. I like how its the "somewhat" bad wolf. The dialoge between the pigs and wolf is interesting too, you can tell it's a recent published book. I like how they become friends at the end and even though the wolf wants to eat the pigs, the pigs help him out and feed him.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, the blurb already told the whole story, plus this is a retelling so there isn't much that's new. I also agree with the reviewer who wasn't a fan of pigs being irresponsible with money, eating junk food and getting away with it if this is supposed to be a book that teaches children moral lessons.

I listened to the story on Storyline Online.

[Easter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Children's Fiction
Grade Range: K-3rd

This is such a fun twist on the classic "Three Little Pigs" story. You get the prospective of the wolf and the pigs. The humor is also fun and not over done, like in some children's books. The illustrations also do a great job of helping tell the story. Overall this is a really fun read!