Three Little Cajun Pigs by Mike Artell

1. Bibliography:
Artell, Mike. 2006. Three Little Cajun Pigs. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0803728158
2. Plot Summary:
Trouble abounds when Trosclair, Thibodeaux and Ulysse, three Cajun brothers from south Loo-siana, are kicked out of their mother’s house and forced to provide for themselves. After “dey walk for a while”, each brother finds building materials and decides to stay behind and build a house. The first brother builds a house from straw, the second from sticks, and the third from bricks, mimicking the traditional tale. Just as the last brother finishes his brick home Ol’ Claude the gator comes up from the bayou, hungry for some couchon de lait. One by one, the gator demolishes houses with the flip of his tail until all the brothers seek refuge in Ulysse’s brick house. After his attempts to knock down the brick house fail, Ol’ Claude climbs down the chimney, unaware that the oldest pig has a roux simmering. Before too much harm comes to the gator, the pigs pull him out of harm’s way and he heads home with a crispy back end. The tale ends with Ol’ Claude nursing his derriere in a bucket of ice and each brother building a new house from bricks.
3. Critical Analysis:
The Three Little Cajun Pigs has brought to life the Cajun culture through Mike Artell’s text and vocabulary. While the vocabulary rings true to the Cajun dialect, illustrator Jim Harris also offers cultural aspects with musical instruments representative of Zydeco, a popular form of native Louisianan music. Overall, the rhythmic tone to the story provides an engaging experience to the reader. The audience is also able to appreciate authentic Cajun vocabulary thanks to Artwell’s glossary of terms which precedes the story.
This variant of the traditional tale stays true to the original plot but incorporates unique twists, helping to define the Louisiana bayou setting. The plot moves along quickly and keeps the reader entertained through the aid of the illustrations. The very simple characters are charming and very likeable, even the antagonist Ol’ Claude. Sticking with the tradition of good triumphing over evil, the pigs learn their lesson and in the end save the gator from a painful incident, providing a much less violent resolution than other versions of the story.
Harris adds even more fun to the book as the audience looks for small details, such as the Mona Lisa pig painting and flying hair dryers. At times, the illustrations offer hilarious insight into the characters, like when Mama kicks the boys out holding a “room for rent” sign. Harris’s mouse character is a fun addition for readers to follow as the story progresses. As a whole, the illustrations lend a special, humorous quality to the story.

4. Awards and/or Reviews Excerpts:

• From SLJ: “Although Cajun variations on folktales are becoming plentiful, this one should not be missed.”
• From Kirkus Reviews: “This retelling of the traditional story is Cajun both in language and lesson. Emphasizing devotion to family and extending others the benefit of the doubt, it also conveys the very Cajun notion that there are few situations that cannot be improved with a big pot of gumbo among friends.”

5. Connections:

• Pair with other versions of the Three Little Pigs, such as The Three Little Javelinas by Susan Lowell or The Three Little Gators by Helen Ketteman for comparing story elements.
• Read Artell’s Petite Rouge, a variant of Red Riding Hood, for a closer look at Artell represents the Cajun culture and to compare the character of Ol’ Claude in both stories.
• Read other Cajun based tales, such as Feliciana Feydra LeRoux: A Cajun Tall Tale by Tynia Thomassie or There Was an Ol’ Cajun by Deborah Kadair to explore the culture of Cajun Louisiana.

6. Personal Response:

I found the dialect to be frustrating to read in my head, and ended up reading the story aloud to an empty room. Once I picked up on the rhythm of the text, I found the story much more enjoyable. Repetitive practice of the words and rhythm would lead to a very engaging storytelling experience.
The use of the Cajun vocabulary creates a fun twist on a traditional tale and paired with variants or versions of other Cajun tales, I think students in the primary grades would gain wonderful insight into the culture of the Louisiana bayou region.