BLOW YOUR NOSE, BIG BAD WOLF!

Children learn the value of sharing (and tissues) in this remake of “The Three Little Pigs.”

Children think they know all about the three little pigs and the big, bad wolf. After all, there have been plenty of tales that have looked at the story from all different angles. But how many know that Big Bad just had a nasty cold and simply wanted the pigs to share their tissues? It’s true. And when he climbs down the chimney, incensed at their selfishness, he gets a soothing warm bath as well as a bit of revenge. “If only they had given Big Bad a tissue, they wouldn’t have caught his cold!” Other books in the series adapt “Goldilocks” to teach kids about eating healthy food, “Cinderella” to impress upon them the importance of brushing twice a day, and “The Gingerbread Man” to stress staying active. These books all have a spot on the didactic spectrum, some higher than others, and only Keep Running, Gingerbread Man really gets its message across smoothly and without changing the original story too drastically. Eat Your Veggies, Goldilocks is the weakest, featuring a brat who wants to only eat treats. But magically, when she’s discovered by the Bears, she shares their healthy food without a complaint. The cartoon illustrations for the four are all by different illustrators, but they all simply reflect the tales rather than extending them.

Even lovers of fractured fairy tales will see straight through these.