Fractured fairy tales have been popular for a while and kids generally enjoy them, although I've found that many of them don't know the originals, which makes it hard to grasp the humor. However, once they've learned the basics of the original tale, there are plenty of curriculum extensions and just fun to have from playing with a familiar story.
Josh Funk has written a series of fractured fairy tales and in his latest he plays with the story of the three little pigs. Taylor's slick digital illustrations present three plump pink pigs in a vaguely European setting, who set out to seek their fortune, which, the narrator explains, "means finding your own place to live and getting a job."
The story quickly goes off the rails though, with the three little pigs declaring their career dreams and the appearance of a fourth pig, Alison, who offers to help tell the story... After much argument about building materials, bathroom placement, and scripts, the four little pigs and the "big bad wolf" (who turns out to be a vacuum cleaner salesman) work together and the story ends on the opening of the curtain for a new production of the classic story.
Verdict: This will be a popular choice for fairy tale units, although kids do need to know the basic story to appreciate the humor of this version. It makes a fun read-aloud for preschool or grade school listeners as well. Librarians just discovering this series will want to pick up the previous volumes as well, which can be found here.
ISBN: 9781542032438; Published November 1, 2022 by Two Lions; Review copy provided by publicist; Donated to the library
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