|
The Three Pigs tells the story of what would happen if the three little pigs had more of a say in their own fates.
The pigs work together to escape the confines of their tale and soar away to explore others. The illustrations change
as the very believable characters step out and into a kind of "blank slate" world. Here the use of white space is very
significant as the pigs "fold up" their adversary and ride his page away. Outside of their tale, the pigs are free to
create their own language, which is now represented in word-bubble format.
In each story they visit, the traditional text goes on while the pigs drop in and bring out a new friend. The author
uses a different type face appropriate for each story being told, and the way the pigs are drawn changes to suit the
illustration style. Another interesting note is that the traditional stories' words go on, unawares, while the remaining
characters in them stand around looking befuddled.
At the end of our reading, my kindergarten age friend wondered, "Could they come right out of the book and see us?"
As we flipped through the story again, we noticed that one pig actually acknowledged our presence. Examining the cover
again, my friend said, "They sure do look like they're ready to come out!" Looking again myself, I discovered that yes,
all three pigs, even my favorite with the convincingly floppy ears, seemed on their way out of the cover. I couldn't
make myself look away.
|
