Google+

The Three Little Guinea Pigs -- A Fun and Creative Twist on a Classic Tale

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Now in my house we love fairy tales. We have done so much with them from our Fairy Tales in Different Cultures Series to crafts and more about different ones including The Three Little Pigs. We have "built" and crafted the pigs' houses several times. We used to also play a game of Three Little Pigs in bed in the morning when I needed some more rest and Hazel was up. We would put the covers over our heads, and I would voice the Big Bad Wolf and pretend one of the cats was the wolf. Hazel would say "Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin." We would basically tell the story under the covers. We would be in giggles by the end though. Today I get to share a new twist on The Three Little Pigs. The book is called The Three Little Guinea Pigs by Erica S. Perl and illustrated by Amy Young. The book is recommended for ages 4 to 8. Plus we have a craft round-up to go with this book!


From the Publisher:

A laugh-out-loud retelling of The Three Little Pigs, The Three Little Guinea Pigs is perfect for fans of fairytales and guinea pigs alike. This clever story by prolific children's book author Erica S. Perl and dynamic illustrator Amy Young makes a perfect read-aloud and includes nonfiction backmatter with additional fun facts about guinea pigs.

Once upon a time there were three little pigs... three little guinea pigs!

Their names were Rosie, Minty, and Pumpkin.
They lived with their mama in a cozy little house.
Then they bid her a fond farewell and set off on their own.
So far, so good....
But what will they do if a hungry fox comes along?
Will they go wheek, wheek, wheek all the way home?
Or can they find a way to save their fluffy behinds?



From Me:

Let's start with the fact that the guinea pigs are girls. Love this!! And they are actually fairly smart. The smartest is Pumpkin. (Love this since our late cat was named Pumpkin.) The guinea pigs each make their houses. Rosie makes one out of hay. Minty out of cardboard boxes, and Pumpkin's is from a variety of things. They even have a little sign and balloons to announce their little village. Then a fox comes--not the Big Bad Wolf. The guinea pigs are out of their houses together eating when the fox shows up. They run to the closest house--Rosie's. While the fox is getting ready to huff and puff, the smart guinea pigs run for the next house, Minty's. Pumpkin is smart enough to grab the balloons and they play a great trick on the fox with the balloons. I love this version!! I love the smart girl power!!


The story is so sweet, and the illustrations are fun. Although I did question whether guinea pigs can really scratch their heads. I love how the story flows and makes sense. After all it explains how the guinea pigs escape the house from the large fox. At the end of the book are fascinating facts about guinea pigs, so this book is also a fun addition to a unit studying guinea pigs or rodents or South America (where guinea pigs are actually from originally). I hope you will check out this fun book!

Guinea Pig Craft Round-Up & More

To go with this book an obvious STEM activity is to try to build houses out of hay, boxes and more. It also would be fun to make some guinea pigs. Here are some great guinea pig crafts to check out!


1) Printable Paper Guinea Pigs from The Craft Train

2) Guinea Pig Card from Simple Everyday Mom

3) Fingerprint Guinea Pig Craft from Tippytoe Crafts

Not Pictured:

4) Printable Painted Guinea Pig Craft from Learn Create Love

5) Felt Guinea Pig Ornament from Cali Cavy Collective

6) Guinea Pig Mask Printable from Super Coloring