The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by A. Wolf

Jon Scieszka

©1989

32 Pages

Ages 4-8

Summary

The true story of the 3 little pigs tells the story of the three little pigs from the point of view of the wolf. Al Wolf was baking a cake for his granny one day when he discovered that he was out of sugar. He proceeded to visit his neighbor and ask to borrow a cup of sugar. The first neighbor wasn't too bright. He had made his house out of straw. Upon knocking the house collapsed to reveal the first pig already dead. So, not to be wasteful, the wolf ate the pig and moved on to his brother's house. The second pig was slightly more intelligent. He had made his house out of sticks. However, when the wolf sneezed, it too fell to the ground revealing another dead pig. He ate that pig too and moved on to the third brother. This little pig had built a sturdy house out of bricks. The wolf tried to be as polite as he could be, but the third pig insulted his mother and the wolf could not stand for that. The police found him trying to break down the third pig's house and hauled him off to jail.

This is one of my favorite alterations on a classic story. It is a wonderful example of point of view and would be a handy teaching tool.

Other Books by the Author:

The Frog Prince, continued

The Book that Jack Wrote

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

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The Knight and the Dragon

The Knight and the Dragon

Tomie DePaola

©1998

32 Pages

Ages 4-8

Summary

Questions

Activity

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The Eleventh Hour

The Eleventh Hour

Greame Base

©1993

32 Pages

Ages 4-8

Summary

The Eleventh Hour is a fabulous mystery that can turn any child into a detective. The story centers around an elephant named Horace who invites his friends over to his house for his birthday. He cooks up this elaborate feast but tells his friends that they cannot eat it until the eleventh hour. Until then they would play games. They play games but when they return to the feast, the food is all gone. No problem. Horace returns to the kitchen and comes out with trays of sandwiches.

This story book contains beautiful illustrations that are not only neat to look at but also are an activity in and of themselves. Hidden in the pictures are clues that will tell you who ate the feast since the book itself never actually tells you.

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Love You Forever

Love You Forever

Robert Munsch

©2000

32 Pages

Ages 4-8

Summary

This is an extremely cute book about the love you have for your children, even when they grow up and the love that you pass down to them. The mother sings to her baby boy when he is asleep. Even when he becomes a toddler and gets into everything, she sings to him while he sleeps. Even when he turns into a teenager and she hardly understands who he is, she still sings of how she'll love him forever. When he is all grown and moves out of the house, she gets a ladder and climbs in through his window. When she is too old to hold him in her arms and sing to him, he holds her in his arms and sings the song that she would have. He then goes home and sings the song to his new born baby.

I remember having this book read to me when I was younger and absolutely love it. Every child needs to be reminded that there is someone who loves them unconditionally and only when they are grown will they understand how much that love is actually worth.

Other Books by the Author

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Heckedy Peg

Heckedy Peg

Audrey Wood

©1992

32 Pages

Ages 4-8

Summary

A poor mother once lived with her seven children who were named Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Each child wanted the mother to bring something back for them from the market. While she was away an old witch came knocking on the door and asked the children for a light for her pipe. The children were hesitant but consented when shown a bag full of gold. The Witch turned the children into food and took them back to her house. When the mother saw that her children had been taken, she set off in search of the witch. The witch was about to sit down to her meal when the mother knocked on her door. She tricked the witch into letting her in. The witch gave her a challenge to decipher who each of her children were, if she could not then the witch would have them for her supper. The mother knew each child by what he/she had asked her to get from the market. The children turned back into themselves. The mother chased the witch until the witch jumped off a bridge and was never seen again.

This picture book was beautifully illustrated and had a wonderful moral. Though the reason the children were kidnapped was because they had disobeyed the directions their mother had given them, the mother was willing to chop off her own feet in order to get them back. There are a few things that may be disturbing to children if they linger on the details, but over all it is a wonderful book.

Other Books by the Author

Oh My Baby Bear

Elbert's Bad Word

Rude Giants

Silly Sally

Little Penguin's Tale

Tugford Wanted To Be Bad

The Red Racer

Weird Parents

Alphabet Adventure

Alphabet Mystery

Alphabet Rescue

Balloonia

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear

Birdsong

A Book for Honey Bear: Reading Keeps the Sighs Away

A Dog Needs a Bone!

Bright and Early Thursday Evening: A Tangled Tale

The Bunyans

The Deep Blue Sea

Detective Valentine

The Flying Dragon Room

Heckedy Peg

Into the Napping House (pop-up book)

Jubal's Wish

King Bidgood's in the Bathtub

Little Mouse and the Big Red Strawberry

Magic Shoelaces

The Napping House

Orlando's Little While Friends

Piggies (co-authored by Don Wood)

Presto Change-o

The Princess and the Dragon

Quick as a Cricket

The Rainbow Bridge

Scaredy Cats

Sweet Dream Pie

Ten Little Fish

Three Sisters

Tickle-Octupus

The Tooth Fairy

Twenty-Four Robbers

When the Root Children Wake Up

The Christmas Adventure of Space Elf Sam

A Cowboy Christmas: The Miracle at Lone Pine Ridge

The Horrible Holidays

Merry Christmas: Big Hungry Bear

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American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese

Gene Luen Yang

©2008

240 Pages

Young Adult

Summary

American Born Chinese is a graphic novel that follows the tales of three different individuals. The main story is that of Jin, a Chinese boy that just wants to fit in. Born in the US, Jin speaks perfect English and is more than familiar with American customs. However, he sees himself as being different because of the prejudices of the other school kids. This story is accompanied by the tales of the Monkey King and Danny, neither of whom are comfortable with the way they are. Danny is plagued by his Chinese cousin who is the epitome of every Chinese stereotype. Danny wants nothing more that to be rid of his shame but no matter how hard he tries he can never seem to escape his predicament. The monkey King was not content with being so small and so grew to the size of a man. Each of the last two stories' resolutions were meant as a lesson for Jin and how his heritage is nothing to be ashamed of.

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

J.K. Rowling

©1998

309 Pages

Ages 9-12

Summary

Harry was raised to believe that he was nothing special. His Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon forced his to live in the cupboard under the stairs and dow everything that they told him to do. Harry disliked his aunt and uncle but had never known his parents having died in a car crash when he was a baby. Harry continued to live his depressing life until the day he received his first letter in the mail. His aunt and uncle kept him from reading the letter. However, when more letters started arriving in the most unusual ways, Harry's uncle took him and h is family away from the house thinking that that would solve their problems. It didn't. The letters kept arriving until a giant man named Hagrid came to retrieve Harry and take him to Hogwarts, a school for witchcraft and wizardry. Once there, Harry made two friends (Ron and Hermione) who help him in his adventures. The three set out to stop an evil wizard from gaining control over the sorcerer's stone (a stone that produces an elixir capable of keeping a man alive indefinitely) and best every beast they confront along the way.

Books in the Series:

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Other books by the Author:

Tales of Beedle the Bard

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The Magician's Nephew

The Magician's Nephew

C.S. Lewis

©1977

112 Pages

Ages 9-12

Summary

Digory and Polly became friends mainly because it was a cold, wet summer. Not being able to play outside, they took to exploring indoors. Polly took Digory up into the attic (a place she called her smuggler's cave) where they discovered that all of the houses along that street were connected by the smuggler's cave. They got the idea that they could explore the house on the other side of Digory's which stood empty. However, they didn't go quite far enough and ended up in the study of Digory's uncle who tricked Polly into picking up one of his rings and vanishing into thin air. Using one of the other rings, Digory goes after Polly to bring her back. They find themselves in a wood between worlds and decide to go exploring instead of going home. They end up in a dying world name Chan and meet a witch who follows them back to their own world. The witch tries to enslave London but Digory and Polly manage to get her out of their world and into a brand new one. They meet Aslan, the Lion who created all worlds, and must help him restore balance to his new world after they brought in the first evil.

Other books in the Series:

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Horse and His Boy

Prince Caspian

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Silver Chair

The Last Battle

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The Horse and His Boy

The Horse and His Boy

C.S. Lewis

©1970

224 Pages

Ages 9-12

Summary

Shasta knew that there was something different about him. He never felt like he belonged to the world in which he lived. One night he listened at the key hole to his father telling a stranger that he had found Shasta floating in a boat and so took him in as his son. His "father" then proceeded to arrange for the stranger to buy Shasta as a servant. By chance, Shasta starts talking to the stranger's horse who could not only understand him but also answer back. The horse's name was Bree and he was a talking horse from the land of Narnia. Shasta and Bree plan their escape to Narnia. On their journey they discover that the Calormenes are about to invade Archenland. They rush to get to Archenland first so as to warn the king.

Other books in the Series:

The Magician's Nephew

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Prince Caspian

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Silver Chair

The Last Battle

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Holes

Holes

Louis Sachar

©2000

233 Pages

Ages 9-12

Summary

Stanley Yelnats comes from a long line of unlucky people. He can trace this streak of misfortune all the way back to his no good, dirty rotten, pig stealin', great great grandfather. This legacy is what landed him in camp green lake. Contrary to it name, Camp Green Lake is a correctional camp out in the middle of the desert. Stanley and the other boys out there are forced to dig hole and are told that it is for them to build character. However, the warden has another goal in mind. She is searching for the buried treasure of a famous bandit and has the determination not to give up until she finds it. Stanley helps his friend Zero to learn to read, but when Zero is put into a tough situation, he runs. Stanley goes in search of him convinced that Zero will die if he cannot find him. Stanley carries Zero up a mountain were they find food and water before heading back to camp. Stanley finds the treasure and is surprised to find out that the chest has his name on it (a name handed down to him through the generations). The treasure was his and he gave some of hit to his friend Zero for always being there for him through the toughest points in the camp.

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Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales

Grimm's Complete

Fairy Tales

The Brothers Grimm

©1993

628 Pages

The Beam (p.628)

This is a short tale of a woman who refused to be taken in by an enchanter's illusions. When the towns people were presented with a chicken who could lift a beam, they were astounded. However, the girl happened across a four leave clover which allowed her to see that it was not a beam but merely a straw. The people ran the enchanter out of town but not before he swore his vengeance on the girl. Years later, on the day of her wedding, the girl made her way with her procession to her wedding. She came to a stream over which there was no bridge. Seeing no other solution and not fearing the water, she gathered her dress and began to wade through the water. Before she could reach the other side, the enchanter appeared and mocked her. He asked her if she could not see that she was not standing in water at all. The Enchanter lifted the illusion from her eyes and the eyes of her procession. When the people realized that she was standing in a field of flowers, they chased her away with ridicule and laughter.

Rumpelstiltskin (p.235)

Rumpelstiltskin is the tale of a miller's daughter whom he claimed could spin straw into gold. When the king appeared and demanded that the girl perform such a task for him, the miller feared for the life of his daughter. He tried to beg the king, but the king said that if she could not perform the task that she would be put to death. The girl was locked in a tower and begins to cry because she knows that she cannot do what the king has asked her to do. A little mad appears and tells her that he will do the task but she must pay him by giving him her first born child. Three night he spins straw into gold for the king and the king takes the girl and marries her. When the little man comes to lay claim to the first born child, the girl asks if there is anything she can do. The man replies that he will forfeit his claim if she can guess his name. she guesses, but she cannot get it right. However, she sends her servant to spy for her and he comes back and tells her that the man was dancing around his fire and said that his name was Rumplestiltskin. She wins the bet and lives happily ever after.

The Frog Prince (p.1)

The Frog Prince tells the story of a young princess who loved to play with her gold ball next to an old well. One day she threw the ball in the hair and failed to catching on the way down. The ball fell into the well and sank down all the way to the bottom. A frog appears and tells her that he will retrieve it if she will allow him to sit in her lap, eat from her plate, and sleep in her bed. The young princess agrees. However, when the frog retrieves the ball, the little girl snatches it and runs home, leaving the frog behind. Later that evening, the princess hears a knock on the door. When she goes to see who it is, she see only a frog. She wanted to leave him out there but her father made her let him in. He made her do everything that she promised the frog. But when he tried to sleep in her bed, she threw him against the wall. The frog then turned into a prince and they were married.

The Grimm Fairy Tales are not meant for children. While they are not obscene, most of them do not present the idea that people get what they deserve. Most of the protagonists do not succeed in the end and they are almost certain not to get their "happily ever after." Over all, while they should be read, make sure to pre-read them before suggesting them to children.

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