Young children familiar with "The Three Little Pigs" will delight in the twists and variations that make up this engaging Southwestern retelling. Coyote, the traditional trickster of the Native American Southwest, is the villain in this version, and his meal of choice (to be eaten with red chili sauce) is not pig, but javelina, a hairy, swine-like creature native to the area. The first javelina lives in a tumbleweed shack that's an easy target for the huffing, puffing coyote; likewise, the saguaro rib hut of the second javelina falls down without too much ado. Luckily, the third javelina comes to her brothers' rescue - she has built her house out of sturdy adobe bricks, with a coyote-sized wood stove as its best feature.

Author -Susan Lowell