Los tres pequeños jabalíes/The Three Little Javelinas by Susan Lowell

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Lowell, Susan. (1992). Los tres pequeños jabalíes/The Three Little Javalinas. Ill. by Jim Harris. Flagstaff, AZ: Rising Moon, Northland Publishing. ISBN 0873586611
PLOT SUMMARY
   A smart, entertaining bilingual adaptation of the classic European-American tale of The Three Little Pigs set in the southwestern desert. Three bristly javelina siblings, including a parasol touting sister (la jabalinita), set out into the cacti-filled desert to “seek their fortunes.” After being swooped up by a dust devil, the first javelina builds his home out of spiny tumbleweeds that are easily blown away by the trickster Coyote.
   The second javelina, unable to find shade from the brutal desert sun, settles on a house built from the dried ribs of a saguaro cactus given to him by a desert woman. The Coyote soon finds him (and his brother) in the saguaro rib house and asks to be let in to which the second javelina responds “Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin” (“Ni por las cerdas de mi bar, bar, barbilla” in Spanish).
   After the destruction of the house, the brothers run to the smart sister’s small yet solid house built from adobe bricks. Still hungry and not defeated, Coyote finds the javelinas and pretends to be old and weak. Unable to blow down the sturdy adobe home, the Coyote climbs to the flat roof to enter through the stove pipe where the three javelinas have lit the fire to the stove. After the fall and sizzle, the javelinas can only see a coyote-shaped puff of smoke and hear a “Yip, yap, yeep, Yee-oww-oooooooooooo!”
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
   By combining elements from the classic tale with coyote fables told by the Southwestern Indians, Susan Lowell creates a unique and engaging version. Story elements such as characters (javelinas, the coyote, the native woman, and the Spanish-speaking brick maker), desert climate and environment ring true to any southwestern desert. Watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil illustrations by Jim Harris are perfectly detailed yet amusing and flawlessly compliment the text. The well written text is presented in Spanish and English so the story can be enjoyed in either (or both) languages.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
PUBISHER’S WEEKLY review – “Clever and flavorful change of scene puts a diverting spin on an old favorite.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL review – “Fast-paced and witty in both languages.”
CONNECTIONS
*Students can compare and contrast with another version of the traditional tale.
*Teachers can use the text to discuss desert environments: climate, animals, possible housing, and survival under harsh conditions.
*More traditional tales by Susan Lowell:
Lowell, Susan. Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella. ISBN 0064438643
Lowell, Susan. Dusty Locks and the Three Bears. ISBN 0805075348
Lowell, Susan. The Tortoise and the Jackrabbit/La tortuga y la liebre. ISBN 087358869X
*Another southwestern version of the traditional tale by featured author, Eric A. Kimmel:
Kimmel, Eric A. The Three Little Tamales. ISBN 0761455191