Mogo, the Third Warthog

by Donna Jo Napoli, Lita Judge (Illustrator)

Mogo may be the runt of the litter, but he’s determined to make it in the tough African savanna. When he and his two brothers are cast out of their burrow in order to make space for a new litter, it’s time for each of them to venture out and build a new home and a new life.

But the savanna is full of dangerous predators, and Mogo’s bossy and lazy older brothers may not have what it takes to survive. On his own, Mogo must learn to battle not just lions, cheetahs, and wild dogs, but also fear and loneliness. Luckily, the friendship of a young baboon, who has also been cast out of his own community, helps Mogo find what he’s been looking a life not just based on survival, but one that relishes in the joy of friendship and love.

Donna Jo Napoli, a master at retelling fables and fairy tales, spins a fascinating adventure from the story of The Three Little Pigs, while Lita Judge’s black and white illustrations bring the unforgettable cast of characters to life.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Africa, Fantasy, Middle Grade

193 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2008

About the author

Donna Jo Napoli is both a linguist and a writer of children's and YA fiction. She loves to garden and bake bread, and even dreams of moving to the woods and becoming a naturalist.

At various times her house and yard have been filled with dogs, cats, birds, and rabbits. For thirteen years she had a cat named Taxi, and liked to go outside and call, "Taxi!" to make the neighbors wonder. But dear dear Taxi died in 2009.

She has five children, seven grandchildren, and currently lives outside Philadelphia. She received her BA in mathematics in 1970 and her Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures in 1973, both from Harvard University, then did a postdoctoral year in Linguistics at MIT. She has since taught linguistics at Smith College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Georgetown University, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and Swarthmore College. It was at UM that she earned tenure (in 1981) and became a full professor (in 1984). She has held visiting positions at the University of Queensland (Australia), the University of Geneva (Switzerland), Capital Normal University of Beijing (China), the University of Newcastle (UK), the University of Venice at Ca' Foscari (Italy), and the Siena School for the Liberal Arts (Italy) as well as lectured at the University of Sydney (Australia), Macquarie University (Australia), the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), and the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa) and held a fellowship at Trinity College Dublin. In the area of linguistics she has authored, coauthored, edited, or coedited 17 books, ranging from theoretical linguistics to practical matters in language structure and use, including matters of interest to d/Deaf people. She has held grants and fellowships from numerous sources, including the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mellon Foundation, the Sloan Foundation.

Reviews

[Salsabrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Booktalk: This is a heartwarming, coming-of-age story about…warthogs. Mogo and his two brothers are their mother’s oldest pigs. Now that she’s given birth to new piglets, she’s kicking them out of the family burrow, time for them to man up and find their own way in the world, the wild African savannah. Of the three brothers, Mogo is the most cautious. He worries about being attacked by lions and wild dogs. He worries about finding a safe burrow to live in. He worries about finding food to eat. His brothers call Mogo a baby and a worrywarthog, always worrying about what Mother taught them when they were piglets. But could it be that Mogo knows what it takes to survive without their mother?

A three little pigs story set in the realities of the African savannah. Young readers will pick up real details about the animals, their habitat and predators and the balance of nature. And besides being a nature story, it’s about learning to be independent and courageous. Touching and entertaining.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could be a bit sad, but Napoli deals with this loosely based "Three Little Pigs" story as the "circle of life", the way nature works, survival story. I love the way she chose to use the African savannah as the setting and a warthog and wild dog were perfect characters.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book- learned so much science along with following the journey of this little warthog as he learns how to make it on his own (after a rude awakening from his momma as she kicks him out of the best, so to speak).

[Terri Shown · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reader gets a real sense of what life could be like in an African Savannah. It is told through the lens of Warthog but you meet many animals along the way. The author superbly captured the animal's characteristics with the written word. And the illustrations keep a good pace within this chapter book so younger readers have a visual to help them stay engaged. The reader will leave with a better understanding of the relationship between the different animals and a stronger sense of Savannah's habitats. My children 4-10 kept begging for more of the story. I was bummed the author hasn't written other nature lore books like it but she is a very prolific and eclectic author who appears to dabble in many different genres.

Regardless I think the book deserves some attention for homeschoolers to add to their science or just be an engaging family read-aloud.


Content Consideration:
The Mother Warthog does abandon her male warthogs when they are too old to stay with the sounder.

The circle of life is described from birth to death with many predator/prey chases.

[Margo Tanenbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the nice things about animal stories is that they don't become dated....this is a charming tale of the African safari that loosely uses the formula of the 3 little pigs, with the big bad wolf being replaced by an African wild dog. Also a coming-of-age story. Great for ages 8-12. It could also be a good read-aloud.

[Karlin Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fresh and fun. This book paints a vocabulary-rich picture of the African savanna through the eyes of Mogo, a young warthog. I'm especially appreciative of the fact-of-life portrayal of the dangers potentially facing the "piggies."
The language does feel a bit familiar at times but does contain an rich vocabulary.

[Jill CD · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story about a smart young warthog. I loved reading about the interactions between Mogo and the other animals. A fun read as well as a possible good read aloud.

[Eden Linford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book! It is very unique and interesting. It is the perfect length and I was engaged the whole time. I really liked the plot and the writing.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed finding books by Donna Jo Napoli since I discovered Beast and as such cannot wait to get into her books to see what perspective she will unfold. When I found Mogo, the Third Warthog, though, I didn't even think this was a fairy tale version until I started reading the book and then it was actually quite clear to me what tale this was based off.

Creativity-wise I have to give the author props on this for not only does it present a familiar story in a very pretty unfamiliar environment but it also gives readers a chance to explore the world from the perspective of warthogs. Although I cannot vouch for the facts that Mogo actually represents with his warthog family the few facts I do know did stand up quite well and the fact that African names are also included sealed the deal for me.

Even with it being rather a decent retelling I do have to confess that my mind was comparing the story a bit with Disney's Lion King since of the interactions. That and I most likely would have rather enjoyed this book a bit more if I had been a much younger reader instead of an adult when first coming upon this story although some parts would possibly need an adult to read over it if you are wanting your child to avoid certain subjects such as birth or death.

The book itself is illustrated with sketch illustrations thus would make for a great young adult story for those who are trying to get themselves into chapter books. The piggies are drawn with characters while most of the other ones do come out looking quite realistic even when parts of the story most definitely stood out as fantasy.

In the end it was a decent read and one that would be a good follow-up for those who enjoy nature stories with a fairy tale twist.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mogo is the youngest of three brothers who all live comfortably with their mother, but when the mother announces that she is going to have another liter it was time for the older warthogs to move. Mogo had grown quite used to the safety of living on familiar ground and finds the move to become independent scary. Forced to find shelter, food, and fight off predators, Mogo is separated from his brothers and strikes out on his own. His only friend is a baboon, and his main enemy is a wild dog named Monster.

Good coming of age tale about seeking independence, relying on personal strength, and facing challenges head on. Great anecdotal stories about life in a Savannah slips in a little educational slant as well.
3 1/2 stars

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the December selection for the Mayor's Book Club here in town. I've been reading it aloud to the boys.

The story of Mogo the Warthog living in Africa. Personification is all over the place. I'm really not sure that piggies and baboons feel this way, but it makes for a sweet story and a violent one. The chasing and death is real life animal survival, but rather intense. Still the boys seemed to like it...

I thought the animal facts took away from the story flow, but I learned lots.

And I'm sure glad goodreads has reviews from others to tell me it was a spin off of the Three Pigs. I missed that.

[Edie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book is somewhat disjointed and not as flawlessly written as others by this writer I think kids will enjoy it because it gives a detailed sense of the life not just of warthogs (not an every day topic in kids' books) but also the animals with which they co-exists. So aardvarks make an appearance as well as gazelles, a ratel, mongeese, a baboon and wild dogs. This is not a hard read and each chapter is somewhat self-contained. Don't expect it to win writing awards, but to win over some readers.

[Kimbrely · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading this book aloud to my children. Overall a good book with a good moral. It is a spin on the three little piggies story but about 3 warthogs who must go out on the african plains to find homes. The one who follows his mother's advice survives - and matures/grows up as well. It was a little slow at the beginning (wasn't sure we were going to make it to the end hence the 4 stars) but the boys got into the suspense of the wild dogs in Africa (and we just had to find out what happened to Mogo). You learn a bit about the cycle of life in Africa.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Three Little Pigs, on the African savanna. Napoli truly is a master at retelling and reshaping classic tales into modern stories. Similar to what she did in 'Ugly' she first sets the scene of Mogo's family, and what thoughts are normal for a warthog on the savanna, then of the struggles as he learns to live on his own, based on the familiar tale. Throughout the book, she gives more details, such as the Thomson's gazelle being the preferred prey for wild dogs, and why a giraffe prefers to get it's water from the leaves, rather than to drink from a pool.

[Lutz Elementary Media Center · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is an imaginative retelling of the Three Little Pigs fairy tale. Again, I'm not a fan of stories where realistic animals talk to one another. However, this story kept talking to a minimum andn what dialogue was shared with the reader helped to increase the reader's interest in the story.

The story does a great job of describing the behavior of the many animals fo the savannah and what adaptations they've made to survive the harsh environment.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a clever retelling of the three little pigs story set in Africa. Mogo is the smallest warthog in his litter, and when he and his brothers are booted out of their sounder, they have to live by their wits as they try to escape a pack of roaming wild dogs. I thought I’d find this book boring, but I found myself rooting for Mogo.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

We're studying the African Plains right now. This seemed like a logical supporting "text." I've been really disappointed so far. Napoli has sacrificed story and plot for the didactic elements of the book. We know A LOT about warthogs though :). . . We never finished this one. The kids just weren't interested, and frankly, neither was I. One and a half stars.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

MSBA Nominee 2009-2010

This is a re-telling of the Three Little Pigs. I think that the major problem is that this is not the easiest story to adapt. I think the other major problem was that the insertion of facts was rather awkward. I think the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series does a much better job. I doubt this will win.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic look at family life in the warthog world - a group called a sounder, where the females raise 2 litters of their offspring, then when a 3rd arrives, the oldest if they are male must leave. This story is about Mogo the runt of 2 older brothers, and how they make their way in the jungle.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle book that had to grow on me a bit, Mogo integrates a vast amount of animal life and behavior on the African savannah as told through the eyes of the third warthog brother.

[Donna Jo Atwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

A retelling of the Three Little Pigs. This was like watching a Disney version of the three pigs and the Lion King. Rather disappointing in a Napoli book.

[Rongrong]

Supposedly a retelling of the Three Little Pigs, just set in the savanna, with warthogs. Cute enough as a premise, but a little slow to unfold.

[Shanshad Whelan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat idea of a retelling of the Three Little Pigs!

[Marla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maine Student Book Award 2009-2010
I loved this book! It is very informative and has wonderful character development. Mogo is my hero!

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Battle Books suck this year....

[Flyp 2011 Tweens]

Sunshine State pick 2009-2010

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of Mogo a scared warthog who finds himself out on the savannah left to fend for himself after his mother tells him that he must grow up! SSYRA book.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rated 3.5
Cute story of a young warthog trying to survive on the African savanna.

[Kimberly Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminds me of the Three Little Pigs.

[Robert 11 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is pretty good and I think you would like it. It is filled with adventure and awesomeness.
I think if you read this book you would have another awesome thing to think about.