The Three Ninja Pigs
Written By Cory Rosen Schwartz
Illustrated By Dan Santat
http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780399255144,00.html?sym=REV# Accessed September 23rd, 2013
Summary
A wolf has come to a Japanese town and is
bulling everyone but three pigs decide they have had enough! The first pig
learns the basics of Aikido, the second pig becomes an intermediate level
Jujitsu artist but the third pig becomes a master of Karate and earns her black
belt. These pigs will learn to look inside themselves to build a stronger
person to defeat the wolf bully without striking a blow!
Critical Analysis
In the traditional telling of The Three Little
Pigs, each little pig builds their own house. The laziest pig builds his house
out of straw which is easy to build and easily destroyed by the wolf. The
second pig applies a bit more effort and builds his house out of sticks, and
yet the wolf is able to destroy his house as well. The final pig takes the time
and effort to build his house of stone, and in the third pig’s home, all of the
three little pigs are able to keep safe from the big bad wolf. In this smart
re-telling of this classic tale, Schwarz focuses on the time and dedication it
takes to master a martial art and build one’s self. The first pig never goes
past white belt before giving up, the second pig quits after earning his yellow
belt, but the third pig works hard and masters Karate earning a black belt. The
first little white belt pig is easily defeated by the big bad wolf -his punch
missed! The second yellow belt pig attacked the wolf, but the wolf was able to
dodge the yellow belt pig’s kick. The kicker (get it!) of this story is that
the third black belt pig doesn’t even have to fight the wolf! When the black
belt pig encounters the wolf, she bows “For Ninjas are very polite” and then
demonstrates her Karate skill to the wolf. Upon seeing the black belt pig break
a pile of bricks with her “pork chop!” the wolf knows that he cannot defeat
this pig and the fight is over before it even began. After the wolf backs down,
the pigs are ecstatic and the white belt pig and the yellow belt pig realize
that they need to go back to their sensei and complete their training. After
their training is complete, the three ninja pigs live happily ever after in their
own dojo. Santat's Pixar like characters lend an animated flourish to this story
while the lovely Japanese touches like the Sakura blossoms and Mt Fuji images show the Zen side of
this snappy rendition of this classic tale. Schwartz masterfully weaves strength
of character with the strength to stand up to bullies, and demonstrates that by
mastering ourselves we can occasionally overcome conflict just by demonstrating
(politely!) our strength of self.
Reviews
Kirkus Reviews (08/01/2012):
"Dedication and practice pay off," is the message these three pigs painlessly deliver. "Once upon a dangerous time," a wolf plagued a town with his huffing and puffing, so three pigs--two hogs and a sow--attend Ninja School to learn how to face him. Each studies a different martial art, but the two brothers quickly lose interest; the third pig alone earns all her belts. So when the wolf comes calling, it's no surprise when the brothers' skills are not equal to the task. "The chase carried on to their sister's. / Pig Three was outside in her gi. / 'I'm a certified weapon, / so watch where you're steppin'. / You don't want to start up with me!' " A demonstration of her prowess is enough to send the wolf packing and the brothers back to their training. Schwartz's sophomore outing is a standout among fractured fairy tales, masterfully combining rollicking limerick verse with a solid story, neither a slave to the other. The one quibble is the "Ninja" of the title--these pigs study the martial arts of aikido, jujitsu and karate. Santat's illustrations are done with Sumi brush on rice paper and finished in Photoshop. The colors, patterns and themes nicely incorporate those of Japanese art, and the setting, with its background mountains, cherry blossoms and traditional rooftops, is firmly Japanese. Have the contact info for the local dojo handy--readers will want to try out these martial-arts styles for themselves.
Booklist (12/01/2012):
Preschool-G This riotous rumble of a takeoff begins with three pigstwo brothers and a sistersaying enough to the huffy puffy wolf destroying houses in their town. So it's off to the ninja school, where the first brother takes up aikido, but he drops out in two weeks. The second brother takes jujitsu and makes good progress, but he is too impatient to keep up his lessons. Only sister pig, a karate student, becomes so skilled that she can break boards by performing a perfect pork chop! Anyone who knows the original story will be well aware of what comes next, but this standout version has so much motion, action, and laughs, kids will feel like they're hearing it for the first time. Schwartz's clever rhyming text flows nicely, and illustrator Santat (who holds a black belt in shotokan) really gets into things. Executed in Sumi brushwork on rice paper (and completed in Adobe Photoshop), the pictures have a three-dimensional feel that's great when kicks and chops are being executed. Sayonara, Mr. Wolf.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)
School Library Journal (09/01/2012):
K-Gr 2--In this fractured fairy tale, three little pigs are portrayed as frustrated siblings fed up with a wolf that loves to huff and puff and blow houses down. In an attempt to protect their homes in their Japanese village, they train at a Ninja school. As the first brother begins aikido lessons, he finds himself bored and drops out, which gives him little defense when the wolf comes to call. Pig Two attempts his skill at jujitsu but his confidence is larger than his capabilities, and he is no match for the villain. Their sister is the only one who studies well and practices until she masters karate. When the wolf arrives at her door, she settles the score and sends him running. Learning a lesson from their gutsy sister, the brothers return to their classes with more determination and success. Unlike the original tale, the pigs are given responsibility for their misfortune and a chance for improvement. The story has a clear message that success requires perseverance. The text and glossary include martial-arts terms. Santat's artwork is in manga style and has wonderful depictions of Japanese scenery and architecture. The pigs are full of motion and emotion as they train and battle with the wolf. Youngsters with an interest in martial arts and those seeking strong female characters will relish this picture book.--"Diane Antezzo, Ridgefield Library, CT" Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Kirkus Reviews (08/01/2012):
"Dedication and practice pay off," is the message these three pigs painlessly deliver. "Once upon a dangerous time," a wolf plagued a town with his huffing and puffing, so three pigs--two hogs and a sow--attend Ninja School to learn how to face him. Each studies a different martial art, but the two brothers quickly lose interest; the third pig alone earns all her belts. So when the wolf comes calling, it's no surprise when the brothers' skills are not equal to the task. "The chase carried on to their sister's. / Pig Three was outside in her gi. / 'I'm a certified weapon, / so watch where you're steppin'. / You don't want to start up with me!' " A demonstration of her prowess is enough to send the wolf packing and the brothers back to their training. Schwartz's sophomore outing is a standout among fractured fairy tales, masterfully combining rollicking limerick verse with a solid story, neither a slave to the other. The one quibble is the "Ninja" of the title--these pigs study the martial arts of aikido, jujitsu and karate. Santat's illustrations are done with Sumi brush on rice paper and finished in Photoshop. The colors, patterns and themes nicely incorporate those of Japanese art, and the setting, with its background mountains, cherry blossoms and traditional rooftops, is firmly Japanese. Have the contact info for the local dojo handy--readers will want to try out these martial-arts styles for themselves.
Booklist (12/01/2012):
Preschool-G This riotous rumble of a takeoff begins with three pigstwo brothers and a sistersaying enough to the huffy puffy wolf destroying houses in their town. So it's off to the ninja school, where the first brother takes up aikido, but he drops out in two weeks. The second brother takes jujitsu and makes good progress, but he is too impatient to keep up his lessons. Only sister pig, a karate student, becomes so skilled that she can break boards by performing a perfect pork chop! Anyone who knows the original story will be well aware of what comes next, but this standout version has so much motion, action, and laughs, kids will feel like they're hearing it for the first time. Schwartz's clever rhyming text flows nicely, and illustrator Santat (who holds a black belt in shotokan) really gets into things. Executed in Sumi brushwork on rice paper (and completed in Adobe Photoshop), the pictures have a three-dimensional feel that's great when kicks and chops are being executed. Sayonara, Mr. Wolf.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)
School Library Journal (09/01/2012):
K-Gr 2--In this fractured fairy tale, three little pigs are portrayed as frustrated siblings fed up with a wolf that loves to huff and puff and blow houses down. In an attempt to protect their homes in their Japanese village, they train at a Ninja school. As the first brother begins aikido lessons, he finds himself bored and drops out, which gives him little defense when the wolf comes to call. Pig Two attempts his skill at jujitsu but his confidence is larger than his capabilities, and he is no match for the villain. Their sister is the only one who studies well and practices until she masters karate. When the wolf arrives at her door, she settles the score and sends him running. Learning a lesson from their gutsy sister, the brothers return to their classes with more determination and success. Unlike the original tale, the pigs are given responsibility for their misfortune and a chance for improvement. The story has a clear message that success requires perseverance. The text and glossary include martial-arts terms. Santat's artwork is in manga style and has wonderful depictions of Japanese scenery and architecture. The pigs are full of motion and emotion as they train and battle with the wolf. Youngsters with an interest in martial arts and those seeking strong female characters will relish this picture book.--"Diane Antezzo, Ridgefield Library, CT" Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Connections
Randy
Riley’s Really Big Hit by Chris Van Dusen is a rhyming story about perseverance and working hard when kids
would rather play. Randy Riley is a space genius, who is not very talented at
baseball but loves to play anyway. After coming home one night after striking
out at bat, Riley looks through his telescope and sees a huge fiery asteroid
headed straight for his home town! Randy tells his mom, he tells his dad but no
one believes him – so for 18 days Randy works and builds in his backyard while
everyone else plays. On the 19th day the radio comes on and alerts
everyone to the asteroid’s impending doom, but while everyone else flips out,
Randy unveils his creation – a huge robot baseball player! Randy marches his robot into town and “KAPOW”
Randy’s robot knocks that asteroid back into outer space – Randy’s first home
run! Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit
pairs nicely with The Three Ninja Pigs
by reinforcing the value of working hard and persevering with the added moral
of doing what you love for the pleasure of doing it, whether you are good or
not! In addition to the common theme, both the Three Ninja Pigs and Randy
Riley’s Really Big Hit have delightful rhyming text and have similar
illustration styles.
References
Booklist 12/01/2012 pg. 71 (EAN 9780399255144, Hardcover)
Kirkus Reviews 08/01/2012 (EAN 9780399255144, Hardcover)
School Library Journal 09/01/2012 pg. 124 (EAN 9780399255144, Hardcover)
Schwartz, Cory Rosen. 2012. The Three Ninja Pigs. Ill. by Dan
Santat. New York, NY: Putnam Books. ISBN 9780399255144
Van Dusen,
Chris. 2012. Randy Riley’s Reallt Big Hit.
Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763649463
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