Traditional Literature: Three Little Cajun Pigs

Three Little Cajun Pigs
By Mike Artell and Illustrated by Jim Harris

Artell, Mike, and Jim Harris. Three Little Cajun Pigs. New York City, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2006. 9780803728158
 
Plot Summary

Three little Cajun pigs, named Trosclair, Thibodeaux, and Ulysse left their Mama's house to find their own places to stay. Trosclair built his house out of straw. Thibodeaux built his house out of sticks. Ulysse knew better than that, so he built his house out of bricks. While the pigs built their houses, Ol' Claude the gator watched from the bayou. He jumped out to chase the pigs and catch them for his couchon de lait. The pigs ran to their houses as one by one Ol' Claude hissed and puffed and made his face frown as he turned himself around and WHACK! sent them flying. Ol' Claude could not knock down Ulysse's house though, because it was made from bricks. He thought of a plan to slide down the chimney, but soon he realized his behind was hot! The pigs had cooked up a roux in their pot and Ol' Claude ran back home to sit on an ice pack. Trosclair and Thibodeaux rebuilt their houses with bricks in case O'l Claude decided to come back.

Analysis

Mike Artell and Jim Harris bring the story of the Three Little Pigs to life in a brand new and fun way. Artell has rewritten the story with a delightful Cajun twist that takes some getting used to when trying to read the story aloud, but has also included a glossary to with pronunciation. This retelling does a great job of providing an introduction to the Cajun culture in a way that will be easier for children to understand, because they are familiar with the story already. The words of the story are so distinctly Cajun and possibly foreign to young readers who are not familiarly with this, so it is helpful that Artell follows the same formula from the original tale of the Three Little Pigs; even with words such as couchon de lait, derriere, and roux, they can still understand what is happening to the pigs and Ol' Claude as he chases them from house to house. 

Jim Harris' illustrations are created with watercolor and pencil on a Strathmore rag bristol, which creates detailed, but still soft images. The illustrations aid in the storytelling by helping readers to follow along when they might struggle with the words. Harris includes a great amount of detail in the decorations of the pigs' houses and even includes a small mouse on every page that readers can hunt for as the story progresses. The faces of the pigs and Ol' Claude are expressive and convey the emotions of each character.

One reviewer from Kirkus Reviews said "This retelling of the traditional story is Cajun both in language and lesson. Emphasizing devotion to family and extending others the benefit of the doubt, it also conveys the very Cajun notion that there are few situations that cannot be improved with a big pot of gumbo among friends."

“Three Little Cajun Pigs.” 2006. Kirkus Reviews 74 (17): 899. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezp.twu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=brd&AN=22267503&site=ehost-live.

Awards

Mike Artell's book "Petite Rouge - A Cajun Red Riding Hood" was named the 2009 Read Aloud Book of the Year by the National Association of Elementary School Principals.

Connections

This book would be great for learning about the Cajun culture and language, and reading it aloud with children would encourage them to try pronouncing the words as well. For story time, props could be included like pig and gator plush toys or plastic models of the pigs houses. This story would also be fun in a theatrical story time setting where children could act out the story while the reader read the words.

For other stories that are about Cajun culture:

Fleming, Candace: Gator Gumbo: a spicy-hot tale. 9780374380502

Carville, James: Lu and the Swamp Ghost. 9780689865602

Dunham, Terri: The Legend of Papa Noel: A Cajun Christmas Story. 9781585362561