Too many pigs and one big bad wolf

K-Gr 3--As if a parent is reading a deeply unsatisfying story to a child, whose countering comments appear in red, this version of the traditional story of the three little pigs opens in a few quick sentences. The comments in red demand more, bored by such an uneventful fairy tale. Each subsequent page obligingly adds more and more pigs to the story with a few extra details sprinkled in, but a new critique is always given. Eventually, math problems enter into it, and the story gets so out of hand that there are one thousand pigs as it concludes. By this point, neither the initial reader nor the one commenting in red cares how the story ends; it's beside the point and a good time has been had by all. Not only a fairy tale with a comical twist, this is a unique story that features some fun math problems while always keeping the result of each page the same: wolf eats pigs. This is the perfect book for young readers looking for a good laugh and its bright illustrations are more than appealing to the eye. An abacus is used both in its traditional function (as a counting tool) and to hold the bodies of the pigs themselves. The wolf is illustrated with dark, sketched lines and is almost always accompanied by a prop--a raincoat, calendar, or glasses, to name a few--to keep the story moving along with entertaining detail. VERDICT Better than a read-aloud, this is a read-along, to be acted out, guessed through, or counted out. A fun way to think about too many pigs.--Kerra Mazzariello

Will the pigs' storytelling ever please the big bad wolf? It's a battle of wits. Back-and-forth dialogue between the pigs and the wolf makes clear that the wolf is a demanding editor. Most tales that the pigs tell are too short. Some veer off topic. Other stories lack specificity. The wolf wants a story with a "beginning and a middle and an end." The pigs try. At the end of each story, the wolf almost always eats the pigs. The pigs are creative. They describe a soccer game. They write a story with 26 pigs (one for each letter of the alphabet) and one with 29 pigs (one for each day of the month--it's February and a leap year). They even write math-based stories, but the wolf is still not satisfied. However, in a logical but still surprising ending, there is a clear victor. Readers who carefully watch the wolf's face and posture will get hints. The illustrations, an inspired blend of illustration and photography, depict the pigs as beads grouped along an abacus. The pigs' faces are expressive, with interesting details like a doctor's coat and fun hats. The sometimes numbered or lettered pig beads shift from side to side and multiply as each spread's story requires. The result is a clever take on metafiction that will appeal to both budding mathematicians and writers. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Creative visuals and storytelling make for an absorbing read and a great bridge for both math and writing activities. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.