Review: The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale by Steven Guarnaccia

The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale by Steven Guarnaccia

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Guarnaccia, Steven. 2010. The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780810989412

2. PLOT SUMMARY

This is a tale of the 3 little pigs set in modern times, with the pigs as famous architects Frank Gehry, Philip Johnson and Frank Lloyd Wright.  One builds a house from scrap material, one of glass, and one as a traditional house made of stone. The big, bad wolf comes along and blows down the first pig’s house, and the first pig runs to the second pig’s house. The wolf comes along and blows his house down, so the 2 pigs then run to the third pig’s house. The wolf could not blow down the third pig’s house made of stone. The wolf makes several attempts to get the pigs by making appointments to meet them at farms, orchards, and markets but the third pig outsmarts him at every turn. Finally the wolf attempts to climb down the fireplace to get the pigs, but he burns his tail and runs away, leaving the pigs in peace.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Steven Guarnaccia’s The Three Little Pigs is an interesting take on the usual three little pigs tale. The pigs are all architects, and the wolf is part of some kind of motorcycle gang. The usual “Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house in” and basic plot is all in the book, including the meetings at the farm, market, etc. Had I not read the book jacket which expressly stated who the pigs were meant to represent, I would not have known the names of the architects. And after a bit of research, I discovered the wolf is meant to represent Philippe Starck, a famous designer. I think it may be difficult to have extremely young children respond to this story if there is too much emphasis on the architectural details. Simply reading this story for enjoyment required me to do additional research on architects and architecture, and it may be too much work for the average child at a storytime. However, if taken as a simple beastly tale, it is just as enjoyable as a traditional version of the three little pigs tale.

Guarnaccia’s illustrations may not make much sense to young children who aren’t familiar with architecture. Each pig’s house is created in a different architectural style, down to the furniture inside. The inside of the front and back covers have sketches based on famous architectural styles. The pigs’ homes are all colorful interpretations of Frank Gehry’s The Gehry House, Philip Johnson’s Glass House, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. The three little pigs will delight young readers, as they are dressed and live exactly like humans. The wolf is drawn as a leather jacket wearing motorcycle driving antagonist, but he is not too frightening. The illustrations are deceptively simple and sparse line drawings with bright splashes of color, and the houses of the pigs are all faithfully represented. After multiple readings of The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale, I believe it is better suited as an adult art book then a stand alone children’s book.

Children may enjoy the plight of the three little pigs, but the hidden architectural details would be better suited for appreciation by an older audience.


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Positive review in Booklist: “Guarnaccia combines a delightfully fractured fairy tale with an ultrastylish, kid-friendly primer of twentieth-century design.”

Review in Kirkus: “Guarnaccia’s illustrations are quirky and stylish, incorporating notable 20th- and 21st-century architecture and interior design elements (the key is on the endpapers). His text lags the illustrations in hipness, though.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Use this story to begin a discussion on architecture. Discuss Frank Gehry, Phillip Johnson and Frank Lloyd Wright, and have the children create their own sketches based on their particular styles.

* Ask what the children would make their homes out of to prevent the bad wolf from blowing them down. Then have the children illustrate their ideas for homes.

*Other versions/variants of the three little pigs:
Kellogg, Steven. The Three Little Pigs. ISBN 9780064437790

Scieszka, Jon. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. ISBN 9780140544510
Wiesner, David. The Three Pigs. ISBN 9780618007011