The Real Story of the Three Little Pigs     By Jon Scieska     Illustrated by Lane Smith     Puffin Books: 1989
Summary:	Scieska presents an interesting twist to the well-known Three Little Pigs tale. Told from the wolf's point of view, Alexander T. Wolf wants nothing more than to clear his name as the culprit behind the unfortunate fates of the three pigs and their houses. The original version of the Three Little igs criminalizes the wolf and sets him up as the antagonist. He, however, contends that this is all a misunderstanding that began with "a sneeze and a cup of sugar".
Recommendation:	Juxtaposed it to the classic Three Little Pigs story, Scieska's humorous version launches a great discussion on perspectives. Serafini and Giorgis maintain "students need to learn how to respond to literature in new ways and from new perspectives" (p. 10). Alex T. Wolf's version provides just that--a great introduction to analyzing a story from different angles. Very often, children only learn about things through one voice, one perspective. Alex T. Wolf shows the reader that the three little pigs'  misfortune was not entrirely done out of "Badness" or "Bigness". To determine whether or not Wolf's version is convincing and trustworthy or not, students are forced to think on higher levels of competences in Bloom's Taxonomy.
Teaching guidelines:	To get a better understanding of perspectives, teachers should provide other stories or scenarios where students can either act out or present various point of views. The idea is to put oneself in the other person's shoes. Different people will experience and see things differently.
ELL support:	Although the tale of the Three Little Pigs may be well-known among American children, it is crucial for teachers to read aloud as an introduction to fairy tales. In addition, a brief talk on fairy tale components and key elements of the classic should be discussed prior to lesson.
Personal Note:	The comical and colloquial language of the story makes it very inviting and easy for readers to establish a connection with the text. The reader feels as though Alexander T. Wolf is having a conversation with him/her. "The text and the illustrations only have meaning during their transaction with a reader" (p. 15). And it is because of this exchange that reader are more likely to remember this story and its lesson, just as I have.
Serafini, F., Giorgis, C. (2003). Reading Aloud and Beyond. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishers.