Alaska's Three Pigs

by Arlene Laverde, Mindy Dwyer (Illustrator)

The newest addition to the Paws IV line of Alaska children's books features the classic story of those irresistible little pigs--retold Alaskan-style, as the pigs camp, fish, ski, and build homes on the Last Frontier! This delightful take on the original is full of Alaska details and is sure to charm readers of all ages.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fairy Tales

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 5, 2000

Reviews

[Cecile · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8

[Regina L · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Alaska’s Three Little Pigs”, by Arlene Laverde is a modern retelling of the classic “Three Little Pigs” story, this time with an Alaska twist! Right out of the gates, we see that these “little” pigs are not so little! They are big and plump and accompanied by big, piggy personalities, each one very distinctive from the next, but all charming and very endearing! Each of these big little pigs builds themselves a house on the Alaskan frontier. One pig builds a trapper cabin, an unsturdy looking shack. The second pig builds a hut made of willow branches, so you know that abode likely won’t bode well either. The third little pig works with his Alaskan surroundings and builds an igloo of glacier ice. Nearby, a hungry Alaskan grizzly bear wakes up and wants some bacon so badly he is ready to bust down the walls to get to these pigs! It’s no surprise that the first two little pig’s houses crumble under the bear’s power, but will the grizzly bear’s hot breath from huffing and puffing melt the igloo?

By the time you’re done reading this deliciously refreshing re-telling of a classic, you too may be in the mood for a pork product of some sort! This book is full of fantastic illustrations. You can almost feel the coldness of the Alaskan tundra through the “swirly” wind and snow that breezes through every page. I appreciated the bright yet muted colors, and the vertical sidebar illustrations found on each side of the pages of text that definitely contribute towards the Alaskan frontier feel. The illustrations gave great humor to the story; We loved that those fat little pigs are always eating spam-esque cans of YAM; even during the moments their lives were at risk busy being huffed and puffed at by the grizzly, they never put down the fork! In fact, you can start to play “find the YAM” with your child because there is a can somewhere on every page! The ending to this tale was fun and non-scary, and a great way to wrap up a great book! Read more at www.diapers-and-daydreams.com

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alaska Three Little Pigs
Fairy Tale
I could not find reading level. Guessing about 2nd grade.


** This Review is for a class assignment **

This is the story of three little pigs who started homesteads in the remote bush of Alaska. The first pig wanted to snowboard so he found an old trappers cabin and snowboarded on Mount McKinley. The second pig traveled to the Tundra and built a house from willows, grass and moss and settled in to eat his canned yam which looks like a non-pig version of spam. The third pig built his house on a glacier with ice. The pigs were having so much fun they woke up the hibernating bear. Will the hibernating bear be able to blow their houses down?

I found this book at Goodwill and picked it out because I am always looking for more books that reflect different places and cultures. Last year, I was in a second grade classroom and I remembered a standard about comparing fairytales from different cultures. I have also found a Hawaiian version of the story of the Three Little Pigs and know that there are also multiple other versions that could be used. This book wonderfully adapted the story to reflect the culture and geography of Alaska.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.2
Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Follows the storyline of the original but with some interesting changes based on the new setting. (Comparing the two could be a great way to show how important setting can be in stories.). These pigs love to ski and snowboard and spend time outside. Their homes are an old cabin, a home made of willows and an igloo. And no big, bad wolf...instead a hungry, tired grizzly who has been woken from his hibernation.

[Maggie]

This book was an interesting take on the three little pigs storyline. I think this book would be a good addition to a discussion on different lifestyles within the united states since the book covers a lot of what life in Alaska is like; describing what the midnight sun is and catching salmon and such.

[Terry]

Found this one in a review by the Book Chook. I love her level of detail not just about the story but what it will mean to readers, too.

[Caitlin Bonde · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute twist to the three little pigs story.