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Three Little Cajun Pigs
Trosclair, Thibodeaux, and Ulysse are three pigs with a whole lot to do. Their mom has just kicked them out of the house and it's time they make their own way and start constructing new homes in the heart of the swamp. When ol' Claude the gator comes sneaking along, however, the three brothers are forced to question their choice of construction materials! This hilarious tale from the creators of the popular Petite Rouge (which School Library Journal declared "A treat from start to finish") will once again take you to the heart of the Cajun swamps and show you the Three Little Pigs like you've never seen them.
32 pages, Hardcover
Published September 1, 2006
About the author
Mike Artell
75 books12 followersMike Artell is a multi-award-winning author, illustrator, musician and professional speaker.
Mike has hosted his own television show and has created cartoons for many national publications and greeting card companies. Mike’s first children’s books were published in 1990 and since then, he has written and/or illustrated more than 40 books. Many of Mike’s books have won awards. Most recently, his book PETITE ROUGE – A CAJUN RED RIDING HOOD was named 2009 Read Aloud Book of the Year by the National Association of Elementary School Principals.
Over the years, Mike has shared his techniques for thinking, writing and drawing more creatively with hundreds of thousands of students and teachers at schools in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Mike also stays busy as a platform speaker addressing many education, healthcare and association groups.
Mike lives in Covington, Louisiana with his wife Susan, a retired science teacher and middle school librarian. They have two grown daughters and 5 grandchildren.
Mike has hosted his own television show and has created cartoons for many national publications and greeting card companies. Mike’s first children’s books were published in 1990 and since then, he has written and/or illustrated more than 40 books. Many of Mike’s books have won awards. Most recently, his book PETITE ROUGE – A CAJUN RED RIDING HOOD was named 2009 Read Aloud Book of the Year by the National Association of Elementary School Principals.
Over the years, Mike has shared his techniques for thinking, writing and drawing more creatively with hundreds of thousands of students and teachers at schools in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Mike also stays busy as a platform speaker addressing many education, healthcare and association groups.
Mike lives in Covington, Louisiana with his wife Susan, a retired science teacher and middle school librarian. They have two grown daughters and 5 grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
April 30, 2023
Three little pigs—Trosclair, Thibodeaux and Ulysse—must each build themselves a house in this Cajun retelling of the classic English tale from author/illustrator team Mike Artell and Jim Harris. Observed by that cunning alligator Claude, who also starred in
Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood
, the pigs build houses of straw, sticks and bricks, respectively, and when the gator comes calling, the younger two find their new domiciles destroyed. It is only the oldest and wisest, Ulysse, whose house can withstand the gator's onslaught—even when he climbs down the chimney...
Like the earlier Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood from this team, I found Three Little Cajun Pigs quite entertaining, appreciating both its rhyming read-aloud text in Cajun dialect, and its expressively humorous illustrations, done in watercolor and pencil. The added search-and-find elements, in which a mouse must be located on each page, adds to the reading fun, and I think young picture-books readers, especially those who enjoy folk and fairy-tales, will enjoy it. I do wonder, as I often do in cases such as this, whether this represents an actual Cajun variant of a well-known folktale, one that has been around for a while, or whether Artell simply adapted a story from another tradition, giving it a Cajun "skin." I do see that fellow Louisiana author Berthe Amoss has retold a similar tale, in her The Three Little Cajun Pigs , but not having read that volume, nor any other Cajun folklore, it's difficult to say. I did appreciate the inclusion of a Cajun glossary here, and would recommend the book as a read-aloud for audiences which enjoy folk and fairy-tales.
Like the earlier Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood from this team, I found Three Little Cajun Pigs quite entertaining, appreciating both its rhyming read-aloud text in Cajun dialect, and its expressively humorous illustrations, done in watercolor and pencil. The added search-and-find elements, in which a mouse must be located on each page, adds to the reading fun, and I think young picture-books readers, especially those who enjoy folk and fairy-tales, will enjoy it. I do wonder, as I often do in cases such as this, whether this represents an actual Cajun variant of a well-known folktale, one that has been around for a while, or whether Artell simply adapted a story from another tradition, giving it a Cajun "skin." I do see that fellow Louisiana author Berthe Amoss has retold a similar tale, in her The Three Little Cajun Pigs , but not having read that volume, nor any other Cajun folklore, it's difficult to say. I did appreciate the inclusion of a Cajun glossary here, and would recommend the book as a read-aloud for audiences which enjoy folk and fairy-tales.
December 4, 2018
This was so much fun! I'm not familiar with Cajun dialect, but thanks to a handy guide at the beginning, I was able to get the hang of it without too much trouble. I'm blown away by the author's ability to stay true to the story, the dialect, and the rhyme and rhythm through such a long stretch. So creative!
4.5 stars
4.5 stars
January 27, 2018
Love this Cajun re-telling of the 3 Little Pigs. The wolf has been replaced by a gator and instead of huffing and puffing, he uses his tail to knock the houses over. When the gator tries to come down the chimney, the smart pig has been cooking a roux!
Definitely best as a read-aloud so that you can hear the rhyme, rhythm and Cajun-ness of the wordds.
Definitely best as a read-aloud so that you can hear the rhyme, rhythm and Cajun-ness of the wordds.
November 14, 2020
My most favorite Fractured FairyTale of ALL!!
March 5, 2024
Makes for a good laugh when read aloud :)
January 20, 2013
This picture book captivated my attention for two reasons. One, a new coworker is from Louisiana, and Two, I get asked occasionally for "different versions" of folk/fairy tales from teachers and education students.
Thank you to the author/editors for choosing to start the book with a glossary for the French terms and explaining the rhyming scheme. For anyone planning to read this aloud, these are great tools!
Told with Cajun sass and spirit, this would be a fun read aloud for older kids (2-4 graders) who are familiar with the 3 Pigs story. For kids unfamiliar with the region, the dialect and French words might inhibit their understanding of the story, but the pictures do a great job helping to fill in the blanks. This was one I couldn't help but get caught up in reading.
Thank you to the author/editors for choosing to start the book with a glossary for the French terms and explaining the rhyming scheme. For anyone planning to read this aloud, these are great tools!
Told with Cajun sass and spirit, this would be a fun read aloud for older kids (2-4 graders) who are familiar with the 3 Pigs story. For kids unfamiliar with the region, the dialect and French words might inhibit their understanding of the story, but the pictures do a great job helping to fill in the blanks. This was one I couldn't help but get caught up in reading.
May 16, 2022
This is book is about three little pigs, but with a Cajun twist to it. Although it follows the traditional plot, Louisiana is heavily represented in this story. It takes place in a swamp down in the bayou. Instead of a the villain being a wolf, the villain is an alligator. The rhyming throughout the book keeps readers engaged. When you are reading this book, you are find yourself reading it as how a Cajun person would sound. I know this because my husband's family is from the bayou. The author writes as how a person from the Bayou would sound. For example, "'You'll sleep dere tonight if you start right away.' So t'ree little pigs pack up all of dere clothes, Kiss Mama good-bye and den follow dere nose." Not only does the rhyming keep readers engaged, the illustrations are amazing! Every page has an illustration that describes exactly what the author wrote.
I love how at the beginning of the book, there is a glossary section. The glossary to helps readers understand some Louisiana terminology and how to pronounce some of the words if they are not familiar. I love this book so much that I ended up purchasing it to be able to share it with my future students!
I love how at the beginning of the book, there is a glossary section. The glossary to helps readers understand some Louisiana terminology and how to pronounce some of the words if they are not familiar. I love this book so much that I ended up purchasing it to be able to share it with my future students!
January 30, 2019
This is a story about three little pigs that there mother has told them that they need to grow up and move on their own. Trosclair, Thibodeaux, and Ulysse leave there mom and move on their own, throughout their journey Ulysses tells his brothers that they need to build a house that strong. Ulysses brothers ignore his advice and later find out it was a big mistake when Ol'Claude an aligator comes knocking their homes. The pigs than ask Ulysses how they can then build a strong house like him her then gives him his recipe and Ol'Claude no longer bother them after getting what he deserved good thing he lives in close to a swamp to cool off.
February 9, 2019
I think this is a good book because this book has another twist to the classic three little pigs story. I like how the illustrations look and I also like how one of the main characters is different in this book. The original wolf that huffs and puffs has been changed to a gator that whacks his tail to tear the houses down. The type of language used in the book is a nice way for children to learn how people from different places speak, in this case from southern Louisiana. Since there is a glossary in the beginning of the story the kids can learn ahead of time what some pronunciations are and what some words mean. So this book is a nice way for children to learn something new.
March 6, 2019
A Louisiana twist to the Three Little Pigs, illustrates the mannerisms, habits, and culture using Cajun dialect. This read aloud book changes the character like exchanging the wolf for a gator that is native to Louisiana, and incorporates seafood and Cajun dishes to engage the readers in learning more about the traditions and culture from Louisiana. The illustrations aid in teaching children who are unfamiliar with region, language, dialect, and French incorporated words. What was most helpful was the glossary that described and educated the readers about what the words mean as well as their pronunciation in the beginning of the book.
November 29, 2022
A great read!!! This is especially great for read-a-louds with grades K3-2, especially if you can do the "Cajun" voices and have covered the mini-dictionary inside. I've done this with several grades in the Metro-Houston area and because of our close proximity to Louisiana, as well as our large former Louisiana population base, the kids simply loved the book, as well as all of the books from Mike Artell. Mike Artell gives a great twist and fresh update to a really old fairy tale.
April 8, 2020
There are three pigs who are living in the swamps then Claude the gator comes along and threatens their lively hood. This story follows the three protagonists and is a retelling of the classic story of the three little pigs. This story would be great for third graders and up as an independent read or group book.
August 25, 2023
I liked the difference in setting from the original tale and the gator using his tail to knock down houses, but the dialect was obnoxious to me because it’s difficult to read, teaches bad grammar, and it seems kind of offensive to me. The French vocabulary was appreciated though, especially since that fits with the region.
January 8, 2018
I was delighted to see Claude the gator, who is also in Petite Rouge. Here he is again in the role that traditionally belongs to the wolf, and he knocks houses down with his tail instead of blowing them down.
The moral of "When gators come roun', cher... just make you a roux" is such a delight.
The moral of "When gators come roun', cher... just make you a roux" is such a delight.
June 11, 2018
I read this story to an audience that included a five year old, a nine year old, and a ten year old. They all loved it. It is an instant family favorite. Thank you Mike Artell for creating such clever, entertaining stories for children!
October 29, 2018
Great culture awareness book. Can be used as a story starter for children to converse. Good way to introduce compare and contrast in storytelling. Exploring the difference from the original story versus the Cajun rendition with the kids should be fun.
December 1, 2018
I love to read versions of fairy tales and stories other than the traditional. This one will not disappoint! Read it in the best Cajun dialect you can and its a rip roaring story every one will love!
September 7, 2017
I love this book. I lived in south Louisiana for 9 years, and still can't do the accent for the life of me, but the book is still a ton of fun.
January 1, 2019
This was a great retelling with a fun twist. I loved the Cajun accent throughout the book. I'm definitely going to check out Artell's other Cajun retellings!!
April 25, 2019
A fun story. Cute pictures.
May 6, 2019
Fun to read and look at.
December 9, 2019
So much fun to read aloud. And the watercolor illustrations really tickled me.
The ending is a lot less violent than the traditional rendition.
The ending is a lot less violent than the traditional rendition.
February 6, 2020
I would use this book to explain the importance behind understanding the elements of a story. Such as the, setting, characters, beginning, middle, end, problem, and solution of the story.
September 22, 2020
Not my first time reading it, but just as enjoyable and fun to read again and again! A cajun twist to the tradiational story of The Three Little Pigs.
October 9, 2020
This is such a fun book. It has lots of fun cajun dialect and traditions that would be to do a lesson over.
August 24, 2021
If you're at all familiar with Cajun culture, you will love this book. So much fun and so well done!
March 28, 2024
Very funny! My boys thought it was a hoot and I’d like to get it from the library again for them!
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June 18, 2024Cute little picture book! A fun spin on the classic Three Little Pigs story!
December 2, 2024
When you got to read the same book over and over again, you might as well be able to enjoy it yourself.
November 30, 2019
VERY FUNNY. I love how it was written.
It starts off by reading "In South Loo-siana , where gators grow big
Live t'ree Cajun pigs and an ol' mama pig."
Its The 3 Little Pigs with a twist of Cajun. The story is still the same but instead of a wolf it has an alligator whose name is Ol' Claude. Here they (the 3 Cajun pigs) have names Trosclair, Thibodeaux and the oldest Ulysse (whose nickname is Boo). Even the ending had me laughing that I plan on reading it again
It starts off by reading "In South Loo-siana , where gators grow big
Live t'ree Cajun pigs and an ol' mama pig."
Its The 3 Little Pigs with a twist of Cajun. The story is still the same but instead of a wolf it has an alligator whose name is Ol' Claude. Here they (the 3 Cajun pigs) have names Trosclair, Thibodeaux and the oldest Ulysse (whose nickname is Boo). Even the ending had me laughing that I plan on reading it again
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews