The Three Little Gators by Helen Ketteman

Bibliography
Ketteman, Helen. (2009). THE THREE LITTLE GATORS. Ill. by Will Terry. Morton Grove, IL:  Albert Whitman & Company.  ISBN 978087578247
 
Plot Summmary

As three young gators set out on their own, Mama Gator warns them to build strong houses to keep out the Big-bottomed Boar.  The first gator spots some rocks and decides to use them to build his home, while his brothers choose sticks and sand, respectively.  "Snurf, Snurf! Snort, Snort!" The Big-bottomed Boar first demolishes the sand house sending its owner scurrying to his brother's stick house for refuge.  Soon afterwards, the Boar crushes the stick house and then both gators desperately race to the first gator's house of rock.  Although the Big-bottomed Boar bumpity-bumps his rump, he can't knock this house down.  As he squeezes down the chimney, the Boar has no idea that there is a fiery barbecue grill waiting for him at the bottom.  With sizzling stripes on his rump, the Big-bottomed Boar speeds out of the house never to return.

Critical Analysis
In this book, Ketteman and Terry combine their unique talents to create a riotous version of the classic story of The Three Little Pigs.  Like the original “good versus evil” tale, the plot remains basically the same - three innocent youngsters venture out into the world and encounter a malicious predator who wants to eat them.  The violent undertones of previous versions have been eliminated in that none of the pigs (I mean, gators) get eaten and the Big-bottomed Boar (barely) escapes becoming dinner himself.  Unlike the original with its justifiable, but abrupt ending, the comical twists in this version will have readers laughing long after the book is closed. 

With East Texas as the cultural setting, Ketteman highlights native animals by substituting the young pigs with gators and the big, bad wolf with the Big-bottomed Boar.  The alliteration in the villain’s name paired with caricature drawings showcasing the Boar's most prominent feature is extremely funny. Terry’s bold, full-page illustrations vibrantly capture the essence of swamp life.  The bright, sparkly green color used to depict the cartoon-like gators produces an eye-catching contrast to the earth tones used in the background scenes. Cultural details are plentiful and authentic with cypress trees, cattails, sandy banks, and a stilt cabin built over the water.  For that extra blast of fun, he's even added a bottle of Boar Sauce next to the barbecue grill!  

Ketteman’s distinct style is also apparent from Mama Gator’s advice to her “young ‘uns” to the catchy rhyme of “Little gator, let me come in. I smell tender gator skin.”  While the rhythm seems slightly off at first, it becomes downright hilarious when the Boar later says, “Chasing you has made me thinner.  I need two little gators for my dinner!”  As main characters, these gators have much more personality than their predecessors, the pigs.  Ketteman uses dialogue to express their thoughts and feelings as when the Third Gator says, “Ha! Big-bottomed boar won’t even know this is a house.”  Terry dramatically extends the text by depicting the gator standing smugly in front of his sand house with his arms folded quite like a human. With its clever text and artistic detail, this book is a rollicking good time for readers of any age.

Review Excerpts
From Booklist:  (Age 3-6)
"this would make a rip-roaring read-aloud."

From School Library Journal: (Age K- gr. 3)
"Ketteman's retelling, including a sassy Texas twang makes the story hilarious and bright."

Connections
Writing (Gr. 3-5)  Prior to reading this book to the students, gather other folktales from your school library.  To promote familiarity of the topic and to increase enthusiasm for the writing activity, be sure to create a mix of traditional tales, newer versions, and possibly even some fractured ones.  Here is sampling of books from which students may already be familiar:

Martin, Rafe. THE ROUGH-FACE GIRL.  ISBN 0698116267
Huck, Charlotte, S. PRINCESS FURBALL.  ISBN 0688078370
Schieszka, Jon. THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS.  ISBN
Young, Ed. LON PO PO: A RED RIDING HOOD STORY FROM CHINA.  ISBN 0698113829
Trivizas, Eugene.  THE THREE LITTLE WOLVES AND THE BIG BAD PIG.   ISBN 0689505698
Kellog, Steven. JACK AND THE BEANSTALK.   ISBN 0688152813
Hyman, Trina Schart. LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD.  ISBN 0823406539
Zelinsky, Paul. RUMPELSTILTSKIN.  ISBN 0140558640
Mayer, Marianne. THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES.  ISBN 0688080510

1. Read The Three Little Gators aloud to the class. (Use storytelling techniques to bring the story to life and to accent the region from which the story originates.)
2. Introduce the additional books and give students plenty of time to read or re-read them.  You may also encourage them to browse the library for additional titles. (Don't rush this part! You want them to expose them to as many different titles as time will allow so that they can more fully understand this particular genre.)
3. Guide a discussion on common elements (e.g. main character, how the story begins, the ending, the role of magic).
4.Working with a partner, students will select one of the stories to use as an example for creating their own unique tale.
5. Create an illustrated book cover for the story.
6. Share with the class.

For Texas Public Schools Week, these additional titles by Helen Kettemen are sure to be a hit with students.
BUBBA, THE COWBOY PRINCE.  ISBN 0590255061
WAYNETTA AND THE CORNSTALK: A TEXAS FAIRY TALE. ISBN 0807586870
ARMADILLY CHILI. ISBN 0807504580