THE THREE LITTLE PIGS AND THE BIG BAD LOBO

A globally inspired, Spanish-flavored retelling of a classic folktale.

In this picture book, Garcia puts his own spin on the familiar tale of three porcine siblings: “Once upon a time, Madre pig and Padre pig had three little pigs of their own,” the book begins. The story unfolds as readers expect, with the three little pigs growing up and going out into the world, building their dwellings of straw, wood, and brick, and facing off against a hungry wolf as he follows them from one house to another, with the pigs triumphant in the end. One or two words on each page are rendered in Spanish, making the book easy to follow for those with no knowledge of the language while offering a linguistic learning opportunity. (A glossary in the book’s back matter offers translations and pronunciation guidance.) What makes the book stand out is its approach to illustration: Each image is created by a different illustrator, with the artists identified by name and nationality on each page. The group of illustrators is broad and varied, with contributors from the Americas, Europe, Oceania, Asia, and Africa. Each applies their own interpretation to the concepts described in the text, while an overall framework of imagery and color brings consistency to the book, resulting in a single coherent story rather than an assembly of unrelated artwork. Visual details, like the pocket square worn by the impatient second pig; the Taj Mahal–like house of bricks that includes a circular driveway, a swimming pool, and topiary-strewn gardens; and the wolf’s patched pants, suspenders, and spiked bracelets bring the story to life. Each artist’s work is distinctive, but readers will have no trouble following the characters from one page to the next. Darya Shch of Spain depicts the tearful pig parents waving as their three children set off into the world, Argentinian Mariano Epelbaum captures the three having a carefree movie night as the wolf attacks the house of bricks, and Mexican Luis San Vicente brings the wolf to his ignominious end.

An engaging and original approach to a beloved fairy tale.