One Upon a Time...

Title: The 3 Little Dassies

Author: Jan Brett

Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons

Year: 2010

ISBN: 9780399254994

Plot Summary:

Once upon a time Mimbi, Pimbi, and Timbi move out of their family

 home to find homes of their own. Add a house of grass, a house of sticks, a house of stone, one hungry eagle and a handsome Agama man and you have the makings of a South African version of The Three Little Pigs. The eagle flaps and claps. Houses are tumbling down and dassies get rescued by a handsome Agama man.  A chimney and a hot fire make for a singed and blackened eagle. “And if you travel to Namibia today, you will see dassies living in stone houses with handsome agama men looking out for them.”

Critical Analysis:

Brett’s detailed watercolor drawings bring the well written text alive with the flavor of the Herero people of Namibia. The details make this tale a visual delight while the text introduces a new twist to an old tale. Wonderfully well written and deliciously illustrated this version of The Three Little Pigs will be one that children and adults will want to read again and again.

Reviews:

This tale will captivate children and introduce a setting and animals unfamiliar to most of them.Carrie Rogers-Whitehead, Kearns Library, UT., School Library Journal

 The animal characters sport adaptations of Western clothing that are seen in Namibia today, down to the turbans worn by the Herero women since Victorian times. The dress prints from the clothing also appear in the illustrator's trademark borders around each two-page spread. Beguiling.  Kirkus Review

Connections:

Conduct a study of Namibia. Discuss animals, food clothing of the region. Read The Three Little Dassies and compare the illustrations with the actual culture.

Read various versions or variants of The Three Little Pigs. Compare and contrast the various stories. Choose your favorite and create a mobile out of the characters.

Related Books:

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

The Three Pigs by David Wiesner

The Three Little Tamales by Eric A. Kimmel

The Three Little Gators by Helen Ketteman

Big and Bad by Etienne Delessert

Who Is It? It’s the Three Little Pigs! by Helen Jackson

The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas