In the original tale, the pigs build houses to defend themselves. However, the interpretation of such defense differs from story to story. Self-defense is the common solution in both the original fairy tale and Schwartz’s retelling. Bullying is a real issue for kids and adults alikeand stories like this one give people a healthy way to deal with the problem. Perhaps one of the top reasons why the original Three Little Pigs is so pervasive throughout each generation is that it deals directly with bullies. In this case, “happily ever after” means finishing their training and opening a dojo to teach their self-defense skills to others. Rather than risk his own skin, the wolf retreats and the pigs live happily after. Then, she threatens to do the same to him if he attacks. The wolf easily scares and chases the two pig brothers into the sister pig’s house, where she gives the aggressor an intimidating demonstration of her skills. Unlike her brothers, the third pig practices and masters karate before the Big Bad Wolf attacks her house. In The Three Ninja Pigs,the first pig studies Aikido, but he gets tired of drills and gives up, while the second pig practices jiu-jitsu and makes mistakes due to overconfidence. Two of the pigs are left helpless due to laziness and one pig is left victorious due to hard work, cleverness, and determination. In line with the original fairy tale, a big-bully wolf terrorizes three little pigs. This funny, action-packed story replaces the little pigs with ninja pigs who study three different martial art disciplines for self defense. Few recent retellings have been as successful and entertaining as The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz. Includes glossary of Japanese martial arts terms. |a In this twist on 'The Three Little Pigs' tale, Pig One and Two neglect their ninja school martial arts training and are no match for the wolf, but Pig Three's practice and dedication saves the day.

|a The three ninja pigs / |c Corey Rosen Schwartz illustrated by Dan Santat.

The three ninja pigs book