The Three Little Javelinas

by Susan Lowell (Author) Jim Harris (Illustrator)

The Three Little Javelinas
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

Everyone knows the story of the three little pigs, but now you're going to meet the three little javelinas (pronounced ha-ve-LEE-nas)-loveable, wild, southwestern cousins of pigs. Living in homes built out of tumbleweeds and saguaro ribs (from the fallen giant cacti), the first two javelinas are soon running from the hungry coyote, who had hoped to eat them with red chile sauce. And where do they go for shelter? Why, to their wise sister's house, made strong with adobe bricks.

This clever and humorous tale is sure to delight children of all ages, especially those familiar with the Southwest. Dressed in cowboy duds and prepared for life in the rugged desert, these characters are more than any coyote bargained for.

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Hardcover
$15.95

ALA/Booklist

Harris' illustrations are appealing and humorous, however, and children who loved the original will enjoy this version.

None

While depicting the true landscape, the illustrations exaggerate the homely "pigs" with very hairy chinny-chin-chins for a riotous adventure.

Publishers Weekly

In this retelling of The Three Little Pigs set in the American Southwest, the cherished porkers are transformed into javelinas, the hairy, swinelike creatures also known as peccaries. Their pursuer, no longer the wolf of traditional lore, becomes Coyote, that ubiquitous Southwestern trickster. In her first book for children, Lowell spices the story with elements of Native American, Mexican and Old West culture. Javelina No. 1 builds his house of tumbleweed, while his brother relies on saguaro ribs. Twice Coyote huffs and puffs and the lightweight dwellings fall, but the peccaries are saved by their resourceful sister, who has had the foresight to build her home of stout adobe bricks. 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.

Copyright 1992 Publisher’s Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780873585422
Lexile Measure
740
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Cooper Square Pub
Publication date
September 01, 1992
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV002200 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Pigs
JUV012040 - Juvenile Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore | Adaptations
Library of Congress categories
Pigs
Swine
Coyote
Southwest, New
Grand Canyon Reader Award
Winner 1994 - 1994

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