The Book We Love
Even just seeing the cover of this cover shoots me back to Elementary School. It reminds me of the Captain Underpants books, but largely because it's a completely different direction from the books I was used to -- Classic Stories, the ones my parents had grown up telling me. Here the classic "Three Little Pigs" story has been turned upside down, where the villain is the victim!
Be sure to check out our other book club book from Jon Scieszka, "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales."
The Activity We Did
"When the cops drove up, of course I was trying to break down this Pig's door. And the whole time I was huffing and puffing and sneezing and making a real scene."
Scieszka, Jon. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. 2nd ed., Puffin Books, 1996.
"And I'll Blow Your House In"
You Will Need:
- Duplos
- Thin Cardboard (like a cereal box or cardstock)
- Printer Paper
- Scissors
- Desk Tape
- Straws (take a quick trip to McDonalds, or maybe you have reusable straws at home)
How to Play:
Take a few minutes to build different types of houses. The three little pigs had straw, sticks, and bricks; we had printer paper, thin cardboard, and building blocks. To make the house, I found the easiest directions from YouTube, where you only have to make a few snips of the paper. I also thought about trying to make a house out of playing cards, but gave up pretty quickly!
Line up the houses on one side of the table, and use the straw to blow air on them, making them move! Make it a game to see how quickly they can get each house across, or count how many puffs. Instead of just making it a fun activity, I asked about the science behind it too. Why did one house take more effort than the others? What other materials could we have used?
The Food We Ate
"Way back in Once Upon a Time time, I was making a birthday cake for my dear old granny. I had a terrible sneezing cold. I ran out of sugar."
Scieszka, Jon. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. 2nd ed., Puffin Books, 1996.
Cake Mix Cookies
You Will Need:
- 1 box of cake mix
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
Don't get caught without sugar like the wolf! This recipe came from my freshman roommate, Ronnie, and it has been a lifesaver on so many occasions. You want a sugary treat, but you're out of flour or sugar. Boxed cake mix already has most of the important pieces already included!
The steps are simple: mix all of the ingredients together, and then drop them in spoonfuls on a cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 9-11 minutes. No need to frost them, but if you're wanting a little extra sweet, add in some chocolate chips before cooking!
Other Fun Ideas
"It seemed like a shame to leave a perfectly good ham dinner lying there in the straw. So I ate it up."
Scieszka, Jon. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. 2nd ed., Puffin Books, 1996.
"Don't Eat Pete"
One of my favorite games to play as a babysitter was "Don't Eat Pete." Place a treat on each box on the page, and a player from out of the room has to eat the snacks one at a time, with the goal to leave the chosen "Pete" covered until last. If they grab the snack from Pete, then everyone else shouts, "Don't eat Pete!" and the round is over!
Other Activities
Some other fun resources for the book, and other crafty ideas that we didn't do... yet.
- Silly Symphonies: One of my favorite videos from my childhood. The music immediately takes me to a happy place! This is the classic story of the "Three Little Pigs", but a dear one!
- Little Voices, Big Ideas: Listen to this New Orleans Public Radio program, talking about how to encourage kids to think critically before jumping to conclusions. They also interview the author!
- The True Story of the Three Little Pigs: Watch an animated version of the book, created by Amazon Prime!
- Jon Scieszka Reading: Follow along with the author of the book, as he reads this story on this YouTube video.
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