Awards
Winner of the 2002 Caldecott Medal
Synopses & Reviews
This interactive retelling of the Three Little Pigs story allows the reader to play the part of the big bad wolf. Three interior die-cut holes invite readers to huff, puff, and blow the pigsandrsquo; houses down! This fractured fairy tale ends sweetly when, rather than blowing down the third pigandrsquo;s brick home, the wolf/reader blows out the candles on a cake baked by the pigs! A satisfying and engaging read for every young
Three Little Pigs fan.
Praise for Huff and Puff andquot;Simple but wonderfully expressive, the illustrations are ink drawings with pale washes of tan, pink, yellow, and blue. A beautifully designed and wholly engaging picture book for young children.andquot;
andndash;Booklist
andquot;Sure to be a family favorite.andquot;
andndash;Shelf-Awareness
andldquo;A good chance for youngsters to relish enacting the wicked role while still getting a friendly reconciliation at the end.andrdquo;
andndash;Kirkus Reviews
andquot;Very young readers will get a kick out of taking the wolfandrsquo;s part, and their parents will appreciate that the scariest bits of the original tale have been omitted.andquot;
andndash;School Library Journal
andquot;Like her repetitive text, Ruedaandrsquo;s illustrations are gently funny and elegantly simple.andquot;
andndash;Horn Book
andquot;The reader is encouraged to follow the pigs into the book.andquot;
andndash;Library Media Connection
Review
"A clever tale that will keep kids poring over every detail." Children's Literature
Review
"Witty dialogue and physical comedy abound in this inspired retelling of a familiar favorite." School Library Journal
Synopsis
"Clever, whimsical and sophisticated." --New York Times Book Review
Taking visual narrative to a new level, this picture book from the creator of Tuesday and Flotsam begins a seemingly familiar tale of three pigs preparing to build houses of straw, sticks, and bricks. But when the Big Bad Wolf comes looking for a snack, he huffs and puffs the first little pig right out of the story . . . and into the realm of pure imagination Dialogue balloons pepper a wide variety of illustration styles taking readers through a dazzling fantasy universe to the surprising and happy ending. You will never look at "The Three Little Pigs"--or artwork--the same way again
"A funny, wildly imaginative tale that encourages readers to leap beyond the familiar; to think critically about conventional stories and illustration, and perhaps, to flex their imaginations and create wonderfully subversive versions of their own stories." -- ALA Booklist, Starred Review
Synopsis
This picture book begins placidly (and familiarly) enough, with three pigs collecting materials and going off to build houses of straw, sticks, and bricks. But the wolfs huffing and puffing blows the first pig right out of the story...and into the realm of pure imagination. The transition signals the start of a freewheeling adventure with characteristic David Wiesner effects cinematic flow, astonishing shifts of perspective, and sly humor, as well as episodes of flight.
Satisfying both as a story and as an exploration of the nature of story, The Three Pigs takes visual narrative to a new level. Dialogue balloons, text excerpts, and a wide variety of illustration styles guide the reader through a dazzling fantasy universe to the surprising and happy ending. Fans of Tuesday's frogs and Sector 7's clouds will be captivated by old friends the Three Pigs of nursery fame and their companions in a new guise.
About the Author
David Wiesner's interest in visual storytelling dates back to high school days when he made silent movies and drew wordless comic books. Born and raised in Bridgewater, New Jersey, he graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Illustration. While a student, he created a painting nine feet long, which he now recognizes as the genesis of Free Fall, his first book of his own authorship, for which he was awarded a Caldecott Honor Medal in 1989. Tuesday was the 1992 Caldecott Medal Winner, and in 2002 David won his second Caldecott Medal for The Three Pigs. Mr. Wiesner and his wife, Kim Kahang, and their two children live in Philadelphia, where he devotes full time to illustration and she pursues her career as a surgeon.
Kids Q&A
Read the Kids' Q&A with David Wiesner