Oops! by Colin McNaughton

A Preston Pig Story

by Colin McNaughton

Preston sets off to take a basket of food to his granny’s, wearing a red coat and hood, and looking very much like Little Red Riding Hood. As ever, Mister Wolf is in hot pursuit, but he can’t think which story Preston’s red coat and hood reminds him of, and so he can’t remember what he is supposed to do…“This will be very popular with three-to-seven year olds.” —Daily Telegraph

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

Paperback Bunko

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Growing up in his native England, the young Colin McNaughton had little indication that he would one day become an author-illustrator. There were no books at all in his parents' home, he recalls, but there were always comics. These were his formative literature, and their slapstick humor has been a lasting influence. "I've been talking about the comic format for years," he says. "It's the modern way of telling stories for today's children; it's about movement, the step between film and the book."


Colin McNaughton says he "hated school. The word 'school' still gives me nightmares." Opting for technical college, he admits he even "made a mess of getting in there -- I'd filled out the application wrong, and when I turned up for registration they'd never heard of me!" So he worked at odd jobs for the next year before entering art school. Although his first book was published while he was still in school, Colin McNaughton did not immediately become a full-time artist. He first tried editorial and advertising work, but did not find the satisfaction that he got out of creating children's books. "At the end of it, there it is, a book on the shelf, not like a newspaper in the gutter. In fact, once you start thinking about it, it's a smashing job!" If the response to his books is any indication, children and adults seem to agree that Colin McNaughton is doing a "smashing job."


Colin McNaughton lives in London with his wife.

Reviews

[Cleo Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A humorous take on Little Red Riding Hood.

[Dawn Courage · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my son , years ago when he was about 5. Hes now 25 and we still say "oops said Preston" . Small boys seem to love this story.

[Sheryl Jeremiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about Mister Wolf who is very hungry. He sets his sights on Preston Pig and makes a cunning plan to eat him. Mister Wolf's plan doesn't seem to work. throughout the story Mister Wolf says that he is reminded of a story, but cannot remember which story he is thinking of. When Preston Pig goes to his Granny's house, Mister Wolf follows him and realises that the story was Little Red Riding Hood. He suddenly realises that he has made a mistake, when Preston's dad arrives and chases Mister Wolf away.

I like this book because when you first start reading it, you assume it is going to be a version of the Three Little Pigs, but as you read more you realise that it is Little Read Riding Hood. I also like the fact that all of Mister Wolf's plans do not seem to work and there is the repetition of 'Oops' when something goes wrong in the story.

This book is suitable for children aged 3 to 7 years old. I have used this book with a nursery class to read to the whole class. This book was used to support the topic of the week, which was The Three Little Pigs. The children enjoyed the story and I asked them questions about it.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of silly shenanigans erupt when Mr. Wolf tries to eat Preston the Pig. A mixture of Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs, this book is a visual treat for the eyes. There are a great deal of extra parts to the story that can be gleaned from the illustrations. In the end, Preston is a little too wily for even this craftiest of wolves.

Used for "Oops" Storytime: November, 2011.

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This parody of Little Red Riding Hood is great fun to read aloud. Preston Pig is oblivious to the traps and stalking of the wolf and avoids catasrophe through his innate clumsiness. An apt comparison would be Wiley Roadrunner meets Preston Pig. I used this in my "Camp Read-a-Lot" story time (couldn't resist). It's not about camping but it does involve a trek through the woods.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retelling of Little Red Riding Hood; Preston goes to see his Grandma, but the wold can't remember the story and when he does, he can't remember how it ends. This can be used in English to explain that a story can be retold in another story. It can also be used in PHSE to explain that when somebody does something bad e.g. the wolf ties up Preston, then that person will get punished e.g. the dad saves Preston and chases the wolf away. This would be aimed at upper KS1/ lower KS2 as although amusing, there are still some tricky word to read.

Storybook

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This time, Preston heads off toward his Grandma’s house with the wolf in hot pursuit — vaguely recognizing the scenario from a childhood story.

Some fun lists:
Three reasons Mr. Wolf is hungry
Three cunning wolf tricks

Fun stuff

[Lisa McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kid reviews:
5yo: It kind of like another big bad wolf story.
7yo: all the stories have a wolf. The funny part was when the wolf got chased by the dad with an iron axe.
9yo: one thing that is different is that in this story the wolf wasn’t misunderstood but in the other stories the wolf was.

[Regan Wimsatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would fit perfectly in a fairytale unit as it combines two fairytales( three little pigs and little red riding hood)

[Elizabeth Jamieson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely hilarious retelling of little red riding hood! Great illustrations. Brilliant author and set of books

[Jenna Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of fun

[Coleman Wigger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short story for children. A few funny spots, interesting plots and oops!

[Pamela Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fractured fairy tale has the wolf having one misadventure after another with all them adding to his "oops"! Very humorous.

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love meta stories like this. Funny.

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever twist on the story of Little Red Riding Hood. (I've always wondered what a "Riding Hood" was). I recommend it as it is fun for adults as well as children.

[Anna Baboura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Θα μπορούσε να θεωρηθεί political incorrect λόγω ορισμένων εκφράσεων αν είχε εκδοθεί σήμερα, αλλά μήπως τελικά ο λύκος δεν είναι κακός;;

[Amy Holliday · Rating 2 out of 5]

Comments on the Story:
This story is the classic Wyle Coyote story. Wolf is off chasing pig and he ends up getting hurt along the way instead of catching the pig. The story also tries to add humor by retelling some of the stories that involve the big bad wolf from the wolf’s perspective. He actually did catch the three little pigs. This book is also for an older audience because for example when he gets pricked the thorns are in his bottom (something older boys would find really funny). Preston slams the door at his mom’s house because she calls him a silly pudding head. Wolf tries to get pig by smashing his head with a bat, this is his “if-all-else-fails-bah-em-on-the-head-with-a-big-stick” plan. Thus, this story would appeal and be appropriate, in my opinion, primarily for kindergartners and young elementary school children and boys in particular might like this book.

Recommended Uses for the Book:
I do not think that I would use this book in a story hour because some of the more interesting elements of the book such as the wolf’s perspective on old fairy tells would be better for older children in elementary school to understand and might be lost on toddlers and young preschoolers. Also, the pictures are kind of small and there are quite a few words one each page. This might be a good book to read to a preschool boy who likes Wyle Coyote plots. He might find the pictures funny and the things that happen entertaining and thus would be a good choice to get him interested in hearing stories.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We recently read Suddenly! by Colin McNaughton and thought it was a clever little story. Then, when I posted my review of that book here on Goodreads, I realized that there was another book featuring Preston Pig and the Big Bad Wolf (I mean, Mr. Wolf).

This story was just as clever as the first one. The narrative is entertaining and fun to read aloud and the illustrations are colorful and cartoonish. It's a nice take on the classic fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood by Charles Perrault. We enjoyed reading this book together.

[JustOneMoreBook.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dialogue bubbles, repetition, huge text and page after page of visual slapstick make this twist on Little Red Riding Hood a satisfying read-along for even the youngest of readers.

Other books mentioned:

* S.W.A.L.K.
* Suddenly!

We can’t help directing you to some of our other pig-centric favourites:

* Today I Will Fly
* When Pigs Fly
* The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig
* The Piggy in The Puddle
* Swine Lake
* Swine Snafu
* Wait! No Paint!

Listen to our chat about Oops! on our JustOneMoreBook.com Children's Book Podcast:
http://www.justonemorebook.com/2007/0...

[Laura Rumohr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written for children in grades k-2. Such a clever and hilarious take on Little Red Riding Hood. The bad wolf is the narrator who makes witty jokes throughout the entire story. The clumsy little pig goes on a trip to his grandmother's wearing a red coat and all along the way the wolf is trying to remember what story it's reminding him of. When he realizes that it's the Little Red Riding Hood, he ties up Granny and throws the little pig into a bag, but then...the little pig's father arrives to chop wood for Granny. The story ends with the pigs chasing the wolf with an axe. I am sure that children would be laughing throughout the entire story!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My niece and nephew both claimed that they liked Oops a lot, but I really didn't notice that in their immediate reactions to the book. I definitely think that some of the more clever humor was lost on them, but whatever. They say they liked it a lot, so I'll take them at their word.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big Bad Wolf is not having a very good day. He can't seem to catch any pigs, the woods are unkind to him, and he can't even remember which story he is in. A fun mixture of the Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood.

[The Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute mishmash of a variety of fairy tales / nursery rhyme stories that have wolves in them. This story surrounds Preston Pig who unknowingly outwits the dastardly wolf time and time again.

Very cute illustrations.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved reading these books with my nephew.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still prefer Suddenly! for storytimes with younger kids, but this is a fun fairytale parody.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kindergarten loved thes books when I didn an author study on McNaughton with them.

[Briony Bastin]

Uses the familiar stories of Red Riding and Three Little Pigs to create new story from the 'Big Bad Wolf's' point of view.
Useful KS1 pupils