The collection of stories features a range of narratives, many revolving around pigs, in different contexts. From classic tales to unique adventures, the stories showcase various characters and their interactions, often reflecting moral lessons and the consequences of actions.
Stories of Adventure and Friendship
Some stories highlight the bonds between friends and their adventures. In A Search is Organdized, and Piglet Nearly Meets the Heffalump Again, Pooh and Rabbit organize a search for their missing friend, Small. During the search, Pooh and Piglet become involved in discovering Small in an unexpected way. Similarly, Piglet Does a Very Grand Thing showcases Piglet’s cleverness when he helps Pooh navigate a windy Thursday, ultimately saving the day when Owl’s house is blown down.
Uncle Wiggily stories focus on friendship, where the character helps different pigs and other animals. For example, in Uncle Wiggily And The First Pig, Uncle Wiggily assists a pig in building a house despite knowing a wolf might destroy it, leading to a safe escape. The same pattern continues in Uncle Wiggily And The Second Pig and Uncle Wiggily And The Third Pig, where he helps the second and third pigs with their homes, ensuring their safety from a wolf. The combination of clever solutions and the value of friendship defines these stories.
Stories of Cunning and Survival
Other stories depict the cleverness of pigs in tricky situations. In The Piglet, the Sheep, and the Goat, a pig stands out from a sheep and goat when faced with the shepherd, pointing out that while the latter animals are used for wool and milk, he is at risk of being slaughtered. Similarly, in How The Pigs Can See The Wind, Mrs. Pig uses her wits to escape danger when Brother Wolf tricks her into giving him her pigs by disguising himself as Mr. Man. She ultimately manages to evade him with the help of Mr. Wind.
The Three Little Pigs is perhaps one of the most famous stories, where three pigs go out into the world and each builds a house to protect themselves from the big bad wolf. The first two pigs build with straw and sticks, which are easily destroyed by the wolf, but the third pig builds with bricks, ensuring his safety. A similar story can be found in The Three Piglets, where each pig makes a different choice of material for their house, and the pig who chooses brick outsmarts the fox who captures the others.
Stories with Magical and Fantastical Elements
Some stories in the collection incorporate magical or fantastical themes. The Mandarin And The Butterfly tells the tale of a mandarin who, after stealing a magical book, uses a butterfly to turn children into pigs for mocking him. In the end, the butterfly grows fond of the children and transforms the mandarin into a pig instead. Another example of a fantastical story is Ozma and the Little Wizard, where Princess Ozma and the Wizard of Oz encounter troublemakers in the form of mischievous Imps, whom they turn into harmless buttons.
Stories of Morality and Consequence
Several stories explore themes of morality, lessons, and consequences. In Tom, the Piper’s Son, Tom steals a pig to satisfy his hunger, only to be caught and punished, teaching him the value of honesty. Similarly, in The Little Red Hen, the hen does all the work of growing wheat and baking bread alone, only to refuse to share it with others who had been lazy.
These stories span across a variety of themes, from friendship and survival to morality and fantasy, offering readers both lessons and entertainment through their unique narratives.