BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lowell, Susan. (1992). The three little javelinas. Ill. by Jim Harris. Flagstaff, Arizona: Northland Pub. ISBN: 0-87358-542-9
PLOT SUMMARY
The Three Little Javelinas is a southwestern version of The Three Little Pigs which takes place in the Sonoran Desert. Lowell uses javelinas, a cousin of the pig, as the main characters in the story. Instead of a big bad wolf as in the traditional tale, the trickster in this story is a coyote who is hungry for a javelina. The author adds to the southwestern theme by having the javelinas build their houses out of tumbleweed, saguaro cactus, and adobe bricks. The coyote huffs and puffs and blows the first and second javelina's houses down. The coyote follows each javelina to the next house and eventually ends up at the house made with adobe bricks and all three javelinas are inside. Excited to feast on all three of the javelinas, he tries to blow the house down, but fails. He decides to head down the stovepipe, but this time the javelinas outsmart him.
CRITICAL
ANALYSIS
Susan Lowell has created The Three Little Javelinas as a southwestern version of the traditional tale, The Three Little Pigs. Lowell does a great job of including a detailed description of the javelinas, which may be unknown to young readers, and even includes a pronunciation. The refrains "Not by the hair or my chinny-chin-chin!" and "Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I"ll blow your house in!" are included and clearly remind the reader of the traditional story that this southwestern tale originated from.
The southwestern setting is clear throughout the book due to the detailed descriptions and illustrations depicting the surroundings. The javelinas are dressed from head to toe in traditional cowboy clothes such as cowboy hats, belt buckles, bandannas, chaps, and spurs. They use tumbleweed, saguaro cactus ribs, and adobe bricks to build their houses which replace straw, sticks and brick from the original tale. The illustrations include desert landscapes with purple mountains, cacti, rabbits, rattle snakes, mice, and skulls. They are not only beautiful and clever, they also stay true to the southwestern landscape. If kids look carefully, a little mouse appears in almost every illustration.
There is a pour quoi element to this story that isn't included in the traditional tale. The end of the story explains why you might hear coyotes howling at night in the desert. This adds a fun twist for kids, especially if they've ever heard the sound of a coyote howling.
Kids will love to read this book and compare it to the traditional tale that they are most likely familiar with. Anyone who lives in or has visited the southwestern United States will particularly enjoy connecting with the illustrations and southwestern elements included in the story. Lowell and Harris have done a wonderful job of explaining the characters and setting clearly so that those with no background knowledge will still be able to enjoy this version of The Three Little Pigs.
"In this southwest retelling of "The Three Little Pigs," the setting and characters work comfortably within the tale's framework. A coyote seeks anthropomorphic javelinas in tumbleweed, saguaro rib, and adobe houses made with help from Native-American and Latino characters. While depicting the true landscape, the illustrations exaggerate the homely "pigs" with very hairy chinny-chin-chins for a riotous adventure." Horn Book (March, 1993)
"This clever and flavorful change of scene puts a diverting spin on an old favorite. Harris's lively, finely detailed illustrations, with the bristling, pink-nosed peccaries clad in cowboy outfits, amusingly contrast the villain's vigorous wiles with the title characters' cozy domesticity. Sprightly fun." Publisher's Weekly (September 14, 1992)
The southwestern setting is clear throughout the book due to the detailed descriptions and illustrations depicting the surroundings. The javelinas are dressed from head to toe in traditional cowboy clothes such as cowboy hats, belt buckles, bandannas, chaps, and spurs. They use tumbleweed, saguaro cactus ribs, and adobe bricks to build their houses which replace straw, sticks and brick from the original tale. The illustrations include desert landscapes with purple mountains, cacti, rabbits, rattle snakes, mice, and skulls. They are not only beautiful and clever, they also stay true to the southwestern landscape. If kids look carefully, a little mouse appears in almost every illustration.
There is a pour quoi element to this story that isn't included in the traditional tale. The end of the story explains why you might hear coyotes howling at night in the desert. This adds a fun twist for kids, especially if they've ever heard the sound of a coyote howling.
Kids will love to read this book and compare it to the traditional tale that they are most likely familiar with. Anyone who lives in or has visited the southwestern United States will particularly enjoy connecting with the illustrations and southwestern elements included in the story. Lowell and Harris have done a wonderful job of explaining the characters and setting clearly so that those with no background knowledge will still be able to enjoy this version of The Three Little Pigs.
AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPTS
"In this southwest retelling of "The Three Little Pigs," the setting and characters work comfortably within the tale's framework. A coyote seeks anthropomorphic javelinas in tumbleweed, saguaro rib, and adobe houses made with help from Native-American and Latino characters. While depicting the true landscape, the illustrations exaggerate the homely "pigs" with very hairy chinny-chin-chins for a riotous adventure." Horn Book (March, 1993)
"This clever and flavorful change of scene puts a diverting spin on an old favorite. Harris's lively, finely detailed illustrations, with the bristling, pink-nosed peccaries clad in cowboy outfits, amusingly contrast the villain's vigorous wiles with the title characters' cozy domesticity. Sprightly fun." Publisher's Weekly (September 14, 1992)
CONNECTIONS
-Other Southwestern Tales:
Lowell, Susan. Dusty Locks and the Three Bears. ISBN 0805075348
Lowell, Susan. Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella. ISBN 0060274468
Lowell, Susan. Little Red Cowboy Hat. ISBN 0805064834
Lowell, Susan. Josefina Javelina: A Hairy Tale ISBN: 0873587901
Lowell, Susan. The Tortoise and the Jackrabbit. ISBN: 0873585860
Ward, Jennifer. There Was a Coyote Who Swallowed a Flea. ISBN: 0873588983
-Jim Harris writes about the illustrations http://www.jimharrisillustrator.com/ChildrensBooks/Books/Thethreelittlejavelinas.html
-Readers Theater for The Three Little Javelinas Click Here for PDF
-Students could compare and contrast The Three Little Javelinas to The Three Little Pigs using a graphic organizer.
-Have students research desert life.
-Have students research desert life.
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