The Three Little Javelinas

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Lowell, Susan. 1992. The Three Little Javelinas. Ill. by Jim Harris. Flagstaff, AZ: Rising Moon. ISBN 0873585429

Summary

In this Southwest variant of the Three Little Pigs, three little javelinas set off across the desert to seek their fortunes. When they come to a spot where the path divides, the three javelina siblings each go a different way. The first little javelina builds a house of tumbleweeds and that is where the trouble begins. A passing coyote, with many magical tricks, smells the little javelina in his tumbleweed house and becomes intent on a piggy meal. The coyote huffs and puffs the house away, but the javelina escapes and runs to find his brother and sister unaware the coyote tiptoed along behind. The second little javelina who has built his house of long sticks called saguaro ribs is soon joined by his brother. However, it is not long before the sneaky coyote has the little javelinas on the run again to find their javelina sister. The third little javelina who has built her house of adobe bricks welcomes in her brothers and locks the door behind. Coyote has followed their trail, and soon he is huffing and puffing- but to no avail. Coyote tries climbing down the stovepipe of the wood stove and is met with a lit fire, which sends him yowling across the desert in a puff of smoke.

Critical Analysis

In The Three Little Javelinas, anthropomorphic javelinas, two male javelinas and one female, are dressed in in clothing indicative to the American Southwest. The characters are basic and most defined by the different type of house each builds. The first javelina builds a tumbleweed house, the second builds a saguaro rib house, and the third, female javelina, builds a house of adobe bricks. The other central character is sneaky Coyote who tries to use his magic to trick the javelinas in order to eat them up. The javelina characters are archetypes of good and the coyote of evil. The plot is full of action and the danger the of the javelinas being eaten is crucial to the plot. The plot's resolution, all three little javelinas safe in the adobe house while the coyote runs away in a puff of smoke, creates a satisfying happily ever after ending. No one in the story gets eaten or killed in the fire. 

Lowell quickly establishes the story's desert setting, and the characters encounter events, animals and people common to a Southwest desert environment. In the story of The Three Little Javelinas, good triumphs over evil and the story's resolution shows that it does not pay to prey on those weaker. The destruction of the first two little javelinas homes remind children to be diligent and to handle dangers with caution. The cultural markers introduced in the story, such as the Native American woman gathering sticks from inside a dried cactus, help the reader gain insights into the culture and customs of dry southwestern areas. While Lowell 's retelling has regionally specific characters and setting, her story retains the popular, familiar phrase repeated in other retellings of The Three Little Pigs:

"Little pig, little pig, let me come in!"

"No! Not by the hair on my Chinny-chin-chin!"

"I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!"

Harris' spirited illustrations provide the movement and action the story demands. His depictions of realistic looking javelinas in cowboy clothes add a humorous touch to the story and give the javelinas personalities that the text does not. The colors and style used are appropriate to the desert setting of the story, and the illustrations help the reader to understand the desert vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to children. My favorite illustrations are of sister javelina's tidy adobe house; she a little house mouse that makes several appearances, as well as, very fine taste in art. Extra touches like these and a detailed portrayal of the desert make The Three Little Javelinas a joy to read!

Awards

The Three Little Javelinas was a 1994 Grand Canyon Reader Award winner and a Reading Rainbow book selection.  

Reviews

A Publishers Weekly review from September 14, 1992, states, "In this retelling of The Three Little Pigs set in the American Southwest, the cherished porkers are transformed into javelinas, the hairy, swinelike creatures also known as peccaries. Their pursuer, no longer the wolf of traditional lore, becomes Coyote, that ubiquitous Southwestern trickster. In her first book for children, Lowell spices the story with elements of Native American, Mexican and Old West culture."

A review in the January 01, 1993, Booklist, praises Harris' illustrations, but is more critical of Lowell's text. The review sates, "In a southwestern version of "The Three Little Pigs," Coyote howls every night as he remembers how he landed in the wood stove of the wisest of three javelinas (not true pigs, but animals related to swine that are common to the Southwest). Lowell incorporates bits of the cultures and languages of the Southwest, but her version lacks the drama of the original story, and her explanatory notes intrude rather than enhance the tale. Harris' illustrations are appealing and humorous, however, and children who loved the original will enjoy this version."

Connections

After reading the The Three Little Javelinas, children could discuss which words and concepts used in the story were or were not familiar. Any questions could be discussed. What is a dust storm? Has any ever seen a saguaro cactus? Children could also give suggestions about what animals would appear in a Three Little Pigs retelling for their own region.

References

Books In Print. Texas Woman's University. Accessed September 20, 2013