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The Three Little Pigs: a book club kit
Where it comes from. People in England told this for hundreds of years before Joseph Jacobs wrote it down in 1890.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). Three little pigs each build a house, one of straw, one of sticks and one of bricks. The big bad wolf huffs and puffs and blows down the straw house and the stick house, but the pigs run to the brick house, and it does not fall. When the wolf comes down the chimney, he lands in the pot on the fire and runs away for good.
The lesson, in one line. Taking the time to build well keeps you safe.
Reading plan. Read it together at the meeting: about 2 minutes aloud, or ahead of time at home.
Questions to talk about
- Who wrote The Three Little Pigs?
The story's answer: No one knows who first told it. It is an old English folk tale, and the version many people know comes from Joseph Jacobs, who printed it in English Fairy Tales in 1890 after finding it in a book by James Halliwell. This page is a retelling in Peabody's own words, written for early readers. - Do the pigs get eaten in The Three Little Pigs?
The story's answer: In Joseph Jacobs's 1890 telling, the wolf blows down the straw house and the stick house and eats the first two pigs, and the third pig in the brick house outwits him. In this telling the first two pigs run to the brick house, and all three pigs are safe. - Who in the story was kind, and who was not? How do you know?
Listen for: Ask for the moment in the story that shows it. - Which part would you change, and how would the story end then?
Listen for: There is no wrong ending; ask what else would have to change. - Is there a rule of three in this story (three tries, three wishes, three visitors)? Why do you think fairy tales like threes?
Listen for: Many do; a third time is where the change happens. - Who would you give this story to, and why them?
Listen for: A reader who can name the right person has understood what the story is like.
Did you know?
- An old English folk tale. Joseph Jacobs popularised the version most people know in his book English Fairy Tales in 1890.
- Jacobs took it from a book by the collector James Halliwell.
- Jacobs's famous lines include “No, not by the hair on my chinny chin chin” and “I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in.”
Activity: Draw the story as a map
On one big sheet, draw every place the story happens and the path between them. Mark the spot where things go wrong and the spot where they come right.
More to talk about
More facts for the leader
- Jacobs wrote that the pigs may once have been goat kids, because little pigs have no hair on their chinny chin chins.
- In Jacobs's version the wolf eats the first two pigs. In this telling all three pigs get away.
Words to teach before you start
- straw: dry grass
- sticks: thin wood pieces
- bricks: hard clay blocks
- huff: blow hard
- chimney: smoke pipe
Questions leaders ask
How long does a The Three Little Pigs book club meeting take?
Reading it aloud takes about 2 minutes in all, so plan one meeting of 30 to 45 minutes, with time left for the questions. The reading plan on the sheet says where to stop.
What age is The Three Little Pigs for?
It is written at Peabody level 5, a grade 1 reading level, so most children at that level can read it alone. Younger children can listen to it read aloud.
Do the children need to read it before the meeting?
No. Each child can read it free on Peabody, before the meeting or together at it, and the questions work either way. The sheet's short version gives the ending away, so keep it for the leader.
How do I use the questions?
Start with the story's own questions, which have answers in the leader's notes, then move to the open ones and listen for reasons. There is no wrong answer to an open question. Stop when the group runs out of things to say.
Club kits for stories like this
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears (level 5)
- Henny Penny (level 5)
- The Enormous Turnip (level 5)
- The Gingerbread Man (level 5)
- The Little Red Hen (level 4)
- Little Red Riding Hood (level 7)
How this kit is made
The short version, the facts and the first questions with their answers are the story's own, written for its page in Peabody's library and checked against the sources named there. The open questions, the activity and the plan are Peabody's, written for this kind of story. No part of it is written by a computer model.
Running the meeting: the meeting plans (30, 45 and 60 minutes) and the sign-up sheet.