About the Holiday

Learning—and the success that comes with it—can be easier and more fun when it’s shared with a mentor. Teachers, instructors, coaches, crafters, family members, and other adults like passing on their knowledge to younger generations, and while kids gain valuable skills, they also benefit from the bonds that form between them and their mentor. If you’re interested in becoming a mentor check out the resources at mentoring.org. National Mentoring Month is also a terrific time to thank a mentor in your life and tell them what a difference they made. 

Thanks to Tundra Books for sharing a copy of Professor Goose Debunks the Three Little Pigs with me for review consideration. All opinions on the book are my own.

Professor Goose Debunks the Three Little Pigs

Written by Paulette Bourgeoise | Illustrated by Alex G. Griffiths 

Professor Marie Curious Goose—”renowned and distinguished scientist”—is on a mission to correct the science in her great-aunt Mother Goose’s stories. This time, she’s tackling The Three Little Pigs. The story starts off in the familiar way: “Once upon a time, there were three little pigs.” The first pig liked to eat and play. The second little pig liked to laze in the mud. And the third little pig worked hard and sweated every day. One day their mother sends them off into the world with the admonition to “‘Save your own bacon!'” Sounds about right, right?

Image copyright Alex G. Griffiths, 2024, text copyright Paulette Bourgeois, 2024. Courtesy of Tundra Books.

But wait! Before you move on in the story, Professor Goose reveals that even these brief profiles are full of erroneous myths! To clear things up, the professor imparts zoologist-approved information, including such facts as pigs don’t gorge themselves, they lay in mud to lower “their body temperature on hot days,” and, because pigs have few sweat glands, they always stay fresh and dry. 

Finally on their own, the siblings get down to the business of living their best lives. The first little pig builds himself a house of straw then goes off to play basketball. Here, Professor Goose takes a moment to imaprt a lesson on the states of Matter and what Matter is made of. By now the wolf has caught up with the first little pig, who rebuffs him with the familiar “‘Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin.'” Despite this the wolf does his huffing and puffing—you know the drill—and the pig runs off to his sister’s house. But waaaiit . . .. The prof takes exception to a few tidbits here, too, such as the chinny-chin-chin line and the house destruction method.

Image copyright Alex G. Griffiths, 2024, text copyright Paulette Bourgeois, 2024. Courtesy of Tundra Books.

Soon, while the wolf is menacing the second little pig, Professor Goose works herself into a lather over the “lone wolf” attack and the story’s depiction of wolves in general. To calm herself down, she instructs readers in details about structures and construction. 

Undeterred, the wolf high tails it to the third little pig’s house of bricks, where she and her siblings are cozily ensconced. The wolf huffs and puffs, can’t blow the brick house down, and the pigs are triumphant. But is this where the story ends? No! The prof explains how many fairy tales—just like this one—use a pattern of three and that patterns are found in everything, including nature, music, and math. Finally, Professor Goose concludes with her own version of what became of these three pig siblings—and the story even turns out well for the wolf!

Image copyright Alex G. Griffiths, 2024, text copyright Paulette Bourgeois, 2024. Courtesy of Tundra Books.

Paulette Bourgeouis’s clever take on the familiar tale of The Three Little Pigs will have kids captivated and laughing from beginning to end as Professor Goose points out foibles in the story and connects the setting, the wolf’s powerful breath, the pigs’ houses, the pigs themselves, and the story’s structure to a wide range of scientific principles. Through Professor Goose’s Fact Checks, kids learn surprising and educational facts about zoology, matter, weather, architecture, patterns, and even coding. 

Alex G. Griffith’s engaging illustrations make for a fun and funny learning experience that will have kids in stitches and their eyes glued to every page. Griffith’s tiny details, facial expressions, and slap-stick humor give a fresh, comic-style look to this well-known story and enhance the science-based facts this fractured fairytale is built on for today’s kids.

A unique retelling of a favorite classic that takes superb advantage of all a fractured fairy tale can offer, Professor Goose Debunks The Three Little Pigs is sure to be asked for again and again…and again. The STEM-related connections make this book a terrific and educational introduction to a variety of units for science educators.

Ages 3 – 8 and up

Tundra Books, 2024 | ISBN 978-0735267329

About the Author

Paulette Bourgeouis is best known for creating Franklin the Turtle, the character who appears in the bestselling picture books illustrated by Brenda Clark. The series has been translated into thirty-eight languages and adapted into an animated television series, merchandise, and feature-length films. She is also the author of award-winning books for children including Oma’s Quilt, which was developed as a short film by the National Film Board of Canada, and more than two dozen non-fiction science books. She is a member of the Order of Canada, received an honorary doctorate degree from Western University, an award of merit from the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists and most recently graduated with an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. Paulette frequently teaches and she has been the writer-in-residence at UBC, Whistler, BC, and Terra Nova National Park, Newfoundland.

About the Illustrator

Alex G. Griffiths is a children’s book illustrator originally from London, UK. The majority of his work is done by hand, using a combination of pen and ink line work and brush textures in a messy way to create an unusual illustration style. He now lives in Canada with his wife and two children. Visit him at alexgfriffiths.com.

National Mentoring Month Activity

Cardboard Playhouse

Kids love pretending with their toys and playhouses. With this craft you and your child can make a playhouse with recycled items and lots of imagination. While you and your child make the house, talk about the building process and ask questions that get them thinking about how various parts of a house work. Once the house is finished, kids can make up their own stories with it—or create their own fractured tale of The Three Little Pigs! 

Supplies

1. Cardboard box

     2. Recycled items, such as:

• Bottle caps for door knobs,
• Small boxes for a chimney
• Use the cardboard cut from the windows to make shutters
• Scraps of cloth for curtains

    3. Craft paint

    4. Markers

    5. Glue

You can purchase Professor Goose Debunks the Three Little Pigs at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop (to support your local independent bookstore)

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