THE THREE LITTLE PIGS

Nosy Crow turns its outstanding Three Little Pigs fairy-tale app (2011) into a print book.

Bright, cartoon-style illustrations set a cheerful tone as the three little pigs set off to make their ways in the world, even though a mischievous wolf lurks in the background. The action moves briskly along, with each pig building a house and living happily until the wolf arrives. Most of the familiar elements are present, but no pigs get eaten in this version. After his house is destroyed, the first little pig runs “squealing to his sister’s house with the wolf racing after him.” Excellent design balances full-bleed illustrations with close-ups framed in plenty of negative space. Words printed in boldface and varied fonts encourage readers to add emphasis and emotion in just the right spots. In the end, the wolf runs howling down the road with a burned rear end: no wolf stew for these little pigs. The storybook app Cinderella (2011) receives similar treatment as a print book. Both lack the humorous speech bubbles from the apps, keeping the focus on the simplified stories. In Cinderella, this has the effect of taking away some of the pizzazz and nuances noted in the app, but the classic pig tale weathers the transition just fine.

Excellent design and illustrations successfully turn a popular storybook app into an appealing picture book.