Wait! No Paint! by Bruce Whatley

Re-imagined fairy and folk tales are so much fun. Bruce Whatley retells The Three Little Pigs in Wait! No Paint! He adds the illustrator as a character resulting in a fun and hilarious adventure.

Published in 2001 with a lexile meausre of AD350L, this is a story you will want to read to your child. AD means adult directed, so your child may need help understanding the role of the illustrator. This book is great for questioning and predicting. Read Goldilocks and the Three Bears before reading this book as it comes up in the story.

The three pigs in this story go out on their own because they live with seventy-three other pigs. The illustrator spills a glass of orange juice on the first little pigs house causing it to fall down in a sloppy mess.

The illustrator also runs out of red paint. Have you ever tried to make a hot fire without red paint? It can't be done, and the pigs are going to be dinner for the wolf unless the illustrator can think of a way to save them.

You could read the original story and then read this one and have your child (or class) find the similarities and differences. Instead of reading the original story, you could have the kids retell it aloud, and see what they know.  You could have your child write their own version of the story. This book has many possible applications in a classroom and at home.

Read to a child today even if that child is you.