Tuesday, February 14, 2017

LSSL 5360 Mod. 2, Book Review #2, The Three Ninja Pigs


Book Review #2- Module 2- Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz
Illustrated by Dan Santat

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY
Schwartz, Corey R., & Santat, Dan. (2012). The Three Ninja Pigs. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 9780399255144

2.  PLOT SUMMARY
These three pigs decide they are tired of being bullied by the wolf, so they each take ninja lessons to defeat him next time he tries to huff and puff their houses down! Unfortunately, pig one and pig two don’t exactly prepare as much as they should, but luckily, their sister has some serious karate moves for the wolf! This story is a perfect example of a comical fractured fairy tale- a fun rhyming story that is enjoyable for all ages.

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This story was one of my very favorite children’s books so far. The rhyming nature of the writing truly flows with ease. It’s perfect for a fun read aloud- I found myself reading it out loud even by myself! The idea of three ninja pigs is just plain funny, and the illustrations are absolutely too cute for words. My favorite line was “The teacher said, ‘excellent progress, but Pig-san, you must study more.’ Pig two said, ‘no way. Sayonara, Sensei! I’m ready to settle a score!’” Santat’s illustrations really added a dynamic sense of action that perfectly paralleled to Schwartz’s storytelling, and aided in the reader’s visualization of the pigs’ karate chops and skillful training. The expressions of the characters were so realistically drawn that, by the end of it, the idea of ninja pigs didn’t sound so crazy after all!

Another thing I loved about The Three Ninja Pigs is that it has an underlying tone of “girl power,” as the third pig who defeats the wolf is their sister. I love the empowerment of the sister pig as she splits the stack of bricks and says to the wolf, “that could have been you!”

This is truly a hilarious, well-written story with a rhyming limerick structure that will have audiences of all ages reaching for this empowering twist on the traditional Three Pigs story.


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

“A fractured fairy tale to out-charm the original, “The Three Ninja Pigs” manages to one-up the well-worn story by setting it in Japan, sprinkling it with the language and discipline of martial art, all in hilarious, impeccable rhyme.” - The New York Times Book Review

“A standout among fractured fairy tales, masterfully combining rollicking limerick verse with a solid story… Have the contact info for the local dojo handy–readers will want to try out these martial-arts styles for themselves.” - Kirkus Reviews

5. CONNECTIONS

*
Unit on fractured fairy tales
*Could do an entire unit on The Three Pigs and different variations of it, noting the writing, illustrations, and what category of folktales it falls under

Could utilize this book during lessons on-

*
Standing up to bullies
* Empowerment
* The value of hard work
* Sticking up for each other

Similar book to consider:
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, Illustrated by Lane Smith

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