The Three Little Javelinas Book Review

Bibliography:

Lowell, Susan, and Jim Harris. The Three Little Javelinas. Flagstaff, Ariz.: Northland Pub., 1992.

Plot:

Three little javalinas start off to seek their fortune. Along the way, they create three different houses made out of tumbleweeds, saguaro ribs, and adobe bricks. When a hungry coyote finds the first little javelina, he begins a series of blowing down houses and scampering javelina’s to the next siblings home. When all three javelinas end up at the sister’s “solid little adobe house”, the coyote will take one more attempt at eating the feast. Ending with an outsmarted coyote, the reader will also find the secret to the coyote’s yowl.

Critical analysis:

Lowell pulls the traditional tale of the three little pigs to a delightful southwestern theme. The magical coyote ties the plot together in a way that compliments the original tale and corresponds to traditional Coyote fables told by southwestern Indians. The three Javelina’s are each unique in their actions, but lack additional characterization that sets them apart. Lowell does not apply customary character traits such as laziness or wisdom and a hard working attitude, but the reader will still become enchanted with the Javelina’s through the variant. The book as a whole applies the traditional literature characteristics of outwitting the villain, the happy ending, and the ability to use the story in any time or place. Readers will be held in suspense as each javelina runs away from the coyote, and wonder at what magic the coyote will enact at the conclusion. Lowell's inclusion of cultural languages and customs will hold readers attention and involve them in the setting. A fantastic re-telling of this familiar tale occurs through The Three Little Javelina’s, a version worth sharing.

The illustrations in the story are part of the appeal to read and share the book out loud. Illustrator Jim Harris created detailed and vivid pictures, where the reader will see the hairy javelina’s in all their facial expressions. Each illustration engages readers with details from page to page, such as the mouse following the main characters through the story. Each page also invokes the sensations of the southwest through imaging the sweat, wind, and light through the pictures.

Personal Response:

This version of the classic Three Little Pigs tale is charming in its presentation and interesting in its perspective. I enjoyed the references to various Southwestern animals, nature, and language throughout the story. The vivid illustrations not only set the scene for the story, but enhance the new version in ways that stay true to the familiar tale.

Excerpts of reviews:

“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.”

Publishers Weekly

“The text is fast-paced and witty in both languages, and is accompanied by energetic, full-page illustrations done in rich earthy tones that evoke the setting as faithfully as the text. Whether read aloud or in amused solitude, this is a picture book that will be enjoyed again and again.”

School Library Journal

Connections:

-Read the book in both Spanish and English and have children collect a list of words they want to learn from either version in the opposite language.

-Research the three different cultures mentioned in the book and have children create presentations on them and compare various aspects of each culture.

-Discuss the use of traditional literature techniques of writing used in the book, specifically linking coyotes howl with the stove pipe experience. Have children think of an animal characteristic and write the story of why the animal does that behavior.

-Read other books set in the Southwest, such as:

Cinderella in the Southwest: Bubba the Cowboy Prince: A Fractured Texas Tale by Helen Ketteman

The Tortoise & the Hare by Jerry Pinkney

How Jackrabbit Got His Very Long Ears by Heather Irbinskas

-Read other books by Susan Lowell, such as:

Little Red Cowboy Hat

Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella

Dusty Locks and The Three Bears

The Tortoise and the Jackrabbit