It's Not the Three Little Pigs

It's Not a Fairy Tale #4

by Josh Funk, Edwardian Taylor (Illustrator)

Meet the three (ahem—four!) little pigs as they convince the narrator to tell a slightly different version of their fairy tale:

First there’s Alan, the one pig in the bunch who is actually a builder. He’s got a BIG problem with building a home out of flimsy straw. Next there’s Alfred, who wants to be an actor and wouldn’t dream of getting his hands dirty. Then we have Alvin, whose dream is to be . . . a pumpkin. Last but not least is Alison, the fourth pig who is ready to bring some flair to this story, if only she can get the narrator to agree to a few changes. . . . And what about that wolf?

Grab your jet-packs and get ready for this rollicking retelling of the popular tale.

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

34 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2022

About the author

Josh Funk is the author of the Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series, the How to Code with Pearl and Pascal series, Dear Unicorn, Dear Dragon, My Pet Feet, the It's Not a Fairy Tale series, Lost in the Library and more. His books have sold more than half a million copies worldwide and been translated into a dozen languages.

New in 2026: A Celebration of You (3.17) and The Dino Door (5.5).

Josh grew up in New England and studied Computer Science in school. Today, he still lives in New England and when not writing Java code or Python scripts, he drinks Java coffee and writes manuscripts. Since the fall of 2015, Josh has presented (or virtually presented) at over 950 schools, classrooms, and libraries.

Josh is terrible at writing bios, so please help fill in the blanks. Josh enjoys _______ during ________ and has always loved __________. He has played ____________ since age __ and his biggest fear in life is being eaten by a __________.

For more about Josh Funk, visit joshfunkbooks.com and at @joshfunkbooks on socials.

Reviews

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not our cup of tea!

I read this first by myself. I have given this a couple of chances for our young girls. Its humor is more confusing than laugh-provoking. The idea of two conflicting narrators is a grown-up thing.

Which brings me to my last point. Is this really for grown-ups? There may be a "sweet spot" age group but it baffles me. Adults won't treasure it. Adolescents won't be interested in it. And, it is beyond most younger children, even those that are familiar with the original.

[Apriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super cute reimagining! My kid loved it. We’ve actually read it several times and want to get the rest of the books in the series.

[The Silvan Reverie | Sarah Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hilarious and spot-on re-imagining of a classic fairy tale. My 8 and 7 year olds loved it and have gone back to re-read it several times. The narrative breaks the fourth wall as the fourth little pig (yes, fourth) named Alison wants to be a storyteller and so she speaks directly to the narrator and on every page interjects to add her own commentary or spin on the story. The narrator is *trying* to get the story to follow along the known trajectory but the characters don't seem to cooperate. I love that this is funny but there is also a nice narrative to latch on to. Kids are able to step outside the original fairy tale and invited to ask their own questions and use their own imagination. The illustrations are highly detailed and help tell the story -- there is a lot to look at on every page that will make children want to revisit this. The narrative is told on several pages with character dialogue so it's fun to read aloud and create different voices for. An all around great story and thoughtful in its approach!

***Note: I was given a review copy of this book via the publisher. Opinions are my own.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm quite fond of Josh Funk's It's Not a Fairy Tale series. For some reason, they tickle my funny bone. First, I loved the little pigs alliterative names: Alan, Alfred, and Alvin (and spoiler--sister Alison) Albert. The second thing I love is the way the characters refuse to do what the narrator says they are going to do. The very appearance of little pig number four is of course a change to the original tale. And the fact that she tries to help make the story better to the narrator's great frustration provides a good deal of the humor. Then there's the fact that the wolf isn't exactly who reader's might be expecting either. The cartoon-like illustrations work perfectly for the tongue-firmly-in-cheek-text. The inclusion of a hot air balloon and jetpacks adds to the mayhem. Young readers are in for a treat when the get a look at this wild and wooly version of the Three Little Pigs. I look forward to reading this aloud many times in the future.

[Jessica Calaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 - 8 years

[Megan]

If you ever want to know what ADHD feels like… read this book!

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This twisted fairy tale is as much fun as you would expect from children’s author Josh Funk. The unexpected fourth little pig really has no part in the tale but does an excellent job of interrupting, adding commentary and direction, and generally being a pain in the neck narrator figure. The illustrations by Edwardian Taylor are superb. Hilarious and great to use a compare/contrast lesson or just as an entertaining read for the PK-3rd grade listeners and readers.

[Barbara Tomie · Rating 1 out of 5]

A desecration knock off of the original

The story disappoints. The lesson nonexistent. Illustrations somewhat clever. Bottom line, I would not read this to my kids. Stick with the original.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fractured fairy tale of the “Three Little Pigs” is full of hilarity, chaos, and all kinds of twists and turns. If you have a child that likes to make up their own stories or take a story and make it their own, this is the kind of story they will love.

In this story, there aren’t just three little pigs, there are four all with names starting with “Al”. The three, actually four, little pigs want to set off and seek their fortunes. But, the fourth little pig wanted to tell his version of the story. But, of course, the narrator of the story has his own agenda. With text bubbles and different fonts, there is a whole chaotic conversation about the three pigs and the houses they are building.

The story jumps around quite a bit and will likely be a bit confusing for younger readers, but older picture book fans will appreciate all the interruptions, the hilarious antics, and the full-page-spread illustrations. There are lots of opportunities for this to be a fun read-aloud with various voices and silliness. The illustrations have lots of great expressions and details including blueprints of the straw (not drinking straws) house and the house made of sticks.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just find the concept of these books so clever; all of them! The breaking of the third wall between narrator and characters just makes them so funny, and I love that the characters go against the narrator. Often times through this exchange, the author is able to teach both the narrator and the reader lessons about assumptions, in this case when it came to the wolf. Other times, the characters just go silly which is also quite fun to read. This time the silliness comes in hot air balloons and jet packs! And, as a literacy teacher, I particularly loved the two literacy loving pigs: Alison, the storyteller, and Alfred, the scriptwriter and star.

Full review (with Trent!) and teaching tools: https://www.unleashingreaders.com/25552

[Rayna Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore when authors fracture fairy tales, and Josh Funk did not disappoint. The illustrations by Edwardian Taylor jump off the pages! This tale also lends itself for BIG discussions with young readers through the engaging speech bubbles and explanations of the story threaded within the book. STEAM connections can be utilized in classrooms and at home with DIY projects. Young students learning about blueprints from the pigs could lead the imagination to run wild. The changes to the original story will encourage young authors to spread their wings and dream about what could be in their story writing. Families reading to children at bedtime or teachers looking for a great interactive read aloud should pick up this book and give it a whirl. You never know what happens when something starts or ends with Once Upon a Time!

[Katie Hutchison Irion · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s Not the Three Little Pigs by Josh Funk and Edwardian Taylor is the fourth installment in the very popular picture books series: It’s Not a Fairy Tale.  These books are clever and funny and break the fourth wall with the characters in the book talking to the reader.  My kids found this to be so entertaining.  My 6-year-old loved that the pigs talked back to us while we were reading their story.  This follows the regular story but adds new twists and turns like a fourth little pig named Alison.  It turns out that she wants to help tell the story of her brothers.  She’s super entertaining and quite snarky.  I enjoyed her quite a bit.  All my kids found this story to be funny and quite entertaining.  We ended up getting all the books in the series and they were all a hit!  

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm actually not quite sure how I got an e-ARC of this, it just showed up in my Kindle library. It doesn't look like I requested it on here or on NetGalley, but thanks to the publisher and whomever else!

Josh Funk turns the traditional story of the Three Little Pigs on its head a little. Alison, the 4th pig, helps to tell the story (reminding me a lot of Interrupting Chicken). In his typical style, as we visit each little, hijinks ensue. Funk adds in fairies, jetpacks, and plenty of pumpkins (why weren't these in the original, it would be so much more fun). In truth, this version has very little resemblance to the story we all know, but is a lot of fun.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was a fun book but my least favorite among the It's Not a Fairy Tale series. it had too much going on in it and felt disjointed because of it. i LOVE the others in this series but this one wasn't quite the same. although the idea of multiple narrators can be confusing for kids, it definitely works for the other books in this series, whereas this one has so much going on that i think it would be confusing for younger kids. the illustrations were amazing as always though! still a big fan of this series!

[Elizabeth Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a kindle first for me ...read it before November first when it will be out for the regular public. i love this series so so much. i wish that when you are reading it for your kindle you could enlarge the illustrations and font. i have noticed that when you are reading, book through the local library still using your kindle they allow for enlarging illustrations and fonts? why does it not work for Amazon books?? i wonder??! so cute and silly. great reads.

[Pam Papworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you very much to the publisher for sending a copy of this new book to me. If you are familiar with the traditional story of The 3 Little Pigs, this book is quite funny...although it is a bit confusing who the narrator is from page to page. If you were to read this to a child who didn't know the story, then the humor would be lost on them. The illustrations are fabulous!! I am now interested in reading their previous re-tellings of fairy tales.

[Ashley S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four Little Pigs, yes that's right, This Is Not the Three Little Pigs, set out to prove the original just didn't make sense. Each pig with their own unique personality tell their tale of escape from the Big Bad Wolf. Or maybe not because the Wolf never sticks around.

Readers will be on their toes in this silly retelling because anything goes.

[Kelly]

Huh, I don't remember reading any of his previous It's Not books. This is very funny. I'd think you could read it with 2nd-4th graders, kids that already know the "traditional" story. Lots of great breaking the fourth wall, too, and could get into discussion of reading talk balloons as they are actually necessary in this story.

[Barbara Waloven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute retelling of the 3 pigs where there might be a hot air balloon and maybe a builder and maybe it has done pumpkins (and wanna be pumpkins). The illustrations are very detailed so rereading this book with your littles will never get old. You’ll find new picture details each time you read it. Very enjoyable read.

[Binxie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 As the title says, this fractured fairy tale is a non-traditional take on the original story. Computer generated illustrations are colorful but not to everyone's taste. There are a lot of snarky remarks by each of the pigs and some fun twists to the story. This tries a little to hard, relies on cheap jokes, and isn't as successful as it could be.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fourth pic? Jetpacks? Hot-Air Balloons? A vacuum cleaner saleswolf? The narrator can't quite regain control of the story when Alison, the 4th pig, begins adding and changing things along the way. That's okay ... only one of the pigs want to be a building anyway. The other two want to be an actor and a pumpkin. Go figure.

Funny stuff

[Catarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hilarious. A new spin on a familiar story. It’s a long read, but the illustrations are so awesome. It’s not really a kids book, and I would suggest a second reader as there are a lot of voices going on, but overall it was a fun tale kind of retold but also with more of a new story added in.

This is more of a middle school story, but then because it’s a picture book it doesn’t feel like it work - but I think it does. (This is what I’m inferring from all the lower than 4 star reviews)

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

What if there were four pigs instead of three? What if only one was interested in building houses? What if one the pigs wanted to be an actor and the third wanted to be a pumpkin? Find out in this hybrid story that combines characters and scenes from both The Three Little Pigs and Cinderella.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

My niece's favorite line is "Not bananas. Pumpkins." She seems to love these It's Not a Fairy Tale books, and I quite like how the narrator ends up arguing with the characters. My performance of the various characters was not as good as it could have been (too many of them just sounded like me), but the kiddo still enjoyed it, and I think my Alvin ("Not bananas. Pumpkins") was spot on.

[Bozhena Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the School Library Journal and the publisher for the advanced electronic review copy of this delightful book. I absolutely adored this fabulous retelling of the Three Little Pigs and can’t wait to share it with all the children in my life! Can’t recommend it highly enough!

[Erin Buhr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good fairy tale adaptation and this is a funny one. The narrator is trying to tell the reader the original three little pigs story but the fourth pig, who inexplicably appears and her siblings have a lot of questions and ideas. It’s laugh out loud funny

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever retelling of The Three Little Pigs. Readers meet the fourth pig who provides commentary and a new storyline. Plenty of humor as expected from a Funk story. The illustrations offer more information about the characters and settings. A delightful read and welcome addition to his series.

[Jess Roever · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent!

I just read this to my 6 year old and he found it absolutely hilarious!! I thought the back and forth dialogue would be confusing for him, but we loved it and laughed a lot.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's Not The Three Little Pigs (It’s Not a Fairy Tale Book 4) by Josh Funk – This series is on kindle unlimited. If you like fairy tale retellings that will make you grin, you will love this as much as your little reader! Happy Reading!

[Larry Yonce · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cast of characters exasperate the narrator/storyteller by not sticking to the "script." Just o.k. The digital artwork is too busy and cluttered and the pigs' mouths are on the sides of their faces (!). Weird choice.