Mike ArtellReseñas

Independent Reading Level: K-3

Three little pigs—Trosclair, Thibodeaux and Ulysse—must each build themselves a house in this Cajun retelling of the classic English tale from author/illustrator team Mike Artell and Jim Harris. Observed by that cunning alligator Claude, who also starred in Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood, the pigs build houses of straw, sticks and bricks, respectively, and when the gator comes calling, the younger two find their new domiciles destroyed. It is only the oldest and wisest, Ulysse, whose house can withstand the gator's onslaught—even when he climbs down the chimney...

Like the earlier Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood from this team, I found Three Little Cajun Pigs quite entertaining, appreciating both its rhyming read-aloud text in Cajun dialect, and its expressively humorous illustrations, done in watercolor and pencil. The added search-and-find elements, in which a mouse must be located on each page, adds to the reading fun, and I think young picture-books readers, especially those who enjoy folk and fairy-tales, will enjoy it. I do wonder, as I often do in cases such as this, whether this represents an actual Cajun variant of a well-known folktale, one that has been around for a while, or whether Artell simply adapted a story from another tradition, giving it a Cajun "skin." I do see that fellow Louisiana author Berthe Amoss has retold a similar tale, in her The Three Little Cajun Pigs, but not having read that volume, nor any other Cajun folklore, it's difficult to say. I did appreciate the inclusion of a Cajun glossary here, and would recommend the book as a read-aloud for audiences which enjoy folk and fairy-tales.

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When her grand-mère has the flu, young Petite Rouge is dispatched by her mother with some hearty gumbo in this Cajun retelling of the classic European fairy-tale of Little Red Riding Hood. Warned to make her way across the swampy bayou with no delay, Petite Rouge sets out with her feline companion TeJean, only to find her way blocked by Big Bad Gator Claude. Fortunately, our heroine is able to outwit this alligator foe, both in the bayou and at grand-mère's house, where he has disguised himself as her relative...

With an entertaining text in rhyming Cajun dialect from author Mike Artell and delightfully expressive watercolor and pencil artwork from illustrator Jim Harris, Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood is a fun picture-book romp. I am not always a fan of transplanted tales of this kind, as I often find myself wishing that the storyteller had retold some traditional tale from the culture in question, rather than choosing to give a new "skin" to a well-known story from some other people or tradition. That being said, as the Cajun people do originally come from French-speaking settlers in what is now Canada, and as French fairy-tale author Charles Perrault is one of our original sources for this tale, perhaps it could be said to be part of their cultural heritage as well. I would be interested to know whether there was a traditional Cajun variant of this story, or whether Artell simply took the European tale and reclothed it, as it were. In any case, I did appreciate the introductory note about the Cajun people, and the inclusion of a glossary of Cajun terms. I think this one would make an entertaining read-aloud, especially for audiences that enjoy fairy and folktales, and it is for that purpose that I would recommend it. For myself, I finished it with a desire to seek out some traditional tales from the Cajun tradition itself.

Great southern take on Little Red Riding Hood. Fun for the cajun language used and cute illustrations.

This book was the red riding hood story that was set in Louisiana, so the author made it a Cajun story. I liked the author's style that gave Louisiana readers a sense of home, and they are able to understand the language the author uses. I liked comparing this story to the traditional Little Red Riding Hood story, and I liked seeing the differences in this story along with other Cajun stories from Louisiana.

Petite Rouge as an adorable version of the Red Riding Hood. It has a Cajun twist and such a humorous story with Petite Rouge and Claude the gator.
I have used this book for a read aloud and the students enjoyed all the characters and a different version. Activities could consist of identifying characters, plot, setting, compare and contrast and sequencing. Petite Rouge is appropriate for all grades!

This story is the cajun version of Jack and the Beanstalk. The opening page has some french words with their pronunciation and definition. The book also lends advice on how to read out loud, which I thought to be very unique and helpful. The book is written in rhyme. The large illustrations are typical of fairy tales with their pale colors. I absolutely adored this book, although I am biased due to my location. It was a very cute twist on a traditional tale.

summary: The Cajun Brothers (3) each build a house made from a different material. Which one will stand the strength of the gator?
reflection: I thought this was a silly take on the classic "Three Little Pigs" story. I smiled while reading it because it's almost kind of hard to read with all the differently pronounced words!
I think this book would be great for a read-aloud, but I probably wouldn't give it to younger kids to read, even though it's a picture book, just because it's a picture book.

If you were a fan of the picture puzzles in the Highlights for Kids magazines at the doctor's office then you are going to love this book. Simple seek and find that the reader can color, sure to bring memories to the parents buying then for their kids.

Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood by Mike Artell is the retelling of the story Little Red Riding Hood but with a Cajun twist. The main characters are ducks and the setting is in the swamp. Since the setting is in the swamp it isn't a wolf that tries to eat Petite Rouge but a gator named Claude. Artell takes a well-known story and makes it new again. the author uses many elements of the Cajun culture. The most obvious is the use of the Cajun language which he blends with rhymes for example;

In a little ol' house
dat been built outta wood,
live a girl people call
Petite Rouge Riding Hood.

Other culture elements such as food are also depicted in the tale. Instead of soup Petite Rouge begins her grand-mere boudin and gumbo. And after Claude accidentally eats boudin that Petite Rouge doused with hot sauce, her and Grand-mere sit down to enjoy some shrimp etouffee, boudin, and gumbo. The book also includes a brief history of the Cajun people and a glossary to help with the pronunciation and meaning of words that may be unfamiliar.

This was an interesting book in that you have to read it even in your head in the style of the Cajun people. I found myself having to slow down and re read many passages. This would be a fun read with kids because you would be able to try and duplicate the accent while giving them a new slant on an old story.

THIS BOOK WAS MY FAVORITE! It made me giggle with the turn of every page, and I really couldn’t put it down. This story told by Mike Artell was very close to the original, and I loved the way he incorporated Cajun slang and culture into the story. In my mind, I read the entire book in a very thick Cajun accent. It was such a precious read. Not only did Artell put a Cajun spin on the story, but the entire text rhymed! This made the story much easier to understand with all of the slang and Cajun-influenced words in the text. The illustrations in this story were fantastic as well, with bright pictures that seemed to be painted with watercolors.

Three Little Cajun Pigs
By: Mike Artell
I read this book as my fairytale book because it is based off of the fairytale/fable “The Three Little Pigs” it’s just a Cajun spin off. This book was about three pig brothers who had to go out on their own and build their houses. They each built a house with a different material and then the big Gator tested the houses when he knocked them down to try to eat the pigs. The two things that made me like this book was the incorporation of Cajun dialect with a glossary and the illustrations.
Personally I love the Cajun dialect. I went to New Orleans three years ago and fell in love with the place, the culture, the food, and the people especially and the way they talk. This book is written in Cajun dialect so there are words in there that you wouldn’t hear or see in Maryland. I loved this because it really added culture to the book and made it not like the typical version of The Three Little Pigs that I’ve read over and over again. Along with this dialect, in the front of the book there is a glossary that lists some of the Cajun words and their definitions that are used in the book. At times I had to go back and look at the glossary to see what was meant by the phrase. I think that the glossary is so useful because the Cajun dialect is so different from what is seen here in Maryland.
The illustrations in this book were phenomenal. They went right along with what the story was saying and have so much color and detail to them while also looking kind of rough. While reading the story, I had to look at the illustrations at times to get a better grasp of what was going on in that part of the story. With the detail that they included, I could have not even read the story, just looked at the pictures, and still would have known what the story was about. Also in Louisiana, things can be rough and not crisp because you can be out in the bayou and living a Cajun lifestyle. The illustrations look a little rough as if they could still be colored in sketches. I think that this added so much character to the book.
The main message of this story is to take your time, just because you finish first doesn’t mean you did something the best. The first two brothers laughed at the third brother because he took forever to build his house while they were already finished and playing. But in the end, their two houses were the ones the gator knocked down with his tail but the third house was the strongest so he couldn’t knock it down. So take your time, it’s not always a race to see who can finish something first.

A cajun spin to the know folktale Little Red Riding Hood, I think this is a fun "different' fairytale book to read to a class. It throws twist to the original Little Red Riding hood. I also think it's a must for Louisiana schools to read being we will go better with the terms located in the pages because they can be quite tricky to understand.

In the book, “Petite Rouge, A Cajun Red Riding Hood,” is a remake of the folk tale the little red riding hood. It is a great and funny way to tell the well known story with a different setting and characters. One main thing also that is different is how it is written, the story is told in a different dialect that could be hard for younger children to read and understand. The main character in this book, instead of a little girl, is a little duck/goose and with the help of a cat. The bad guy in this story is not a wolf, it is an alligator. And finally the setting is in a swamp instead of woods. Besides the characters and the setting, the plot of the story is the same. Little red riding hood is going to visit her sick grandmother and give her some food, but the alligator has an idea to make it less simple than that. Also the ending is a little different on how little red riding hood gets rid of the alligator. (hint: very funny) The message of this story would be to always be brave.

This book was about three little pigs that get kicked out by their mothers home and she tells them that it is time that they found their own homes. They all have different ideas as to what they want their houses to be made of so they build them. However in town there is an alligator that wants to eat them up and each time he goes to their houses their houses get destroyed. The only house that stays is the one made of brick. Eventually the alligator goes down the chimney but get stuck and when the little pigs realize he's learned his lesson they let him go and he never bothers them again.

Love, love, love this "spicy" version of Red Riding Hood with its spunky protagonists and snappy villian. Also enjoyed hunting for the mouse hidden on each page in the illustrations. And if you are afraid you'll butcher the beautiful Cajun vocaublary by reading it aloud-pop in the CD provided in the back and let the author do the work for you. Delightful!

'Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood' is an insanely good book for young and old alike. If you love fairytales, you will love this Cajun twist on a classic. The premise is the same, but the dialect and cultural is very different. It will entertain you and you will laugh.

Let yourself giggle, and don't mind the geese using furniture built for people or other dissonant details. Watch the details of facial expressions, characters unmentioned (ex., the mouse), and try to read it aloud. If you do all that, you'll probably enjoy it even more than I did.

probably lost, actually
so move to 'maybe ... not in clan'

Too long for me to read entirely right now. The wolf is replaced by a 'gator, but otherwise it seems like there's not much more going for this than the Cajun setting.

I did not like this book for a couple different reasons. First, the language the book used was hard to comprehend. Although it reflected a certain dialect, it took away from the meaning of the text. For example the author says, "Dey don' be gone long, when dey see a by stomp, a big, long, green log, dat got plenty a' bomb." The text displays a different dialect; however, is may be distracting to some readers. Second, the language is not descriptive. The author does not describe the duck or the alligator other than what they are doing. The reader has to infer the characteristics solely on the pictures, which may be hard. The main idea of the book is to be careful and cautious.

I absolutely loved this book! It was the same story as the original "Jack and The Beanstalk" except with a cajun twist. I think I enjoyed this book so much because I'm from Louisiana and understood the words and phrases being used. I think if you aren't from Louisiana it could be difficult to understand some of the words and spellings, especially if you aren't use to the cajun accent. I think the theme of this book would be good vs. evil (Jacques vs. The Giant). The Giant has no good use for a golden egg, whereas Jacques and his mother can use the golden egg to provide food and a stable life. The chicken will also have freedom with Jacques instead of being trapped and mistreated by the giant. I look forward to having this book in my classroom one day and being able to read it to my students in a cajun accent, in which I think they will enjoy.

This is one of the coolest books I’ve read. This book is full of a variety of skulls. But, it isn’t enough just to show the reader all of the cool skulls. The author tells us a little bit about the animal it came from and usually a great little unknown fact to go along with it. For example, did you know a nine-banded armadillo can hold its breath for almost six minutes or jump three to four feet straight up in the air?
Looking at the skull of the elephant leaves you wondering how it’s head is so big. Looking at the skull of a hippopotamus explains why they are the most dangerous animal in the world. One of the scariest and flimsiest looking skulls is that of the rattlesnake. There are teeth on the lower and upper jaw and two humongous fangs. Looking at the variety of skulls tells you a lot about how animals survive. The Tiger’s skull shows a massive area for being able to sniff out its prey, not to mention it two massive fangs on top and bottom. Words underlined in the text have a glossary in the back. This is followed by a page of links for more information about plants, animals and other cool facts.