The Bottom Line
Between Rose Williams' easy-to-read Latin translation of the story of the "Three Little Pigs," and James Hillyer Estes' toga-clad line drawings of the main characters, Tres Porculi is great fun to read aloud. The book is more than the basic story and a bit of word-magical translation, like "'Nolo, per capillos menti-men-men,' dicit porculus." It also includes questions for young students to answer and a very thorough key for instructors or parents.
Pros
- Very clear, easy to guess at vocabulary.
- Funny line drawings enhance the familiar story.
- Absolutely simple.
Cons
- Spiral bound
- Currently only available through the publisher (L and L Enterprises)
Description
- Sectio (Section) 1 is 13 pages of only a few sentences each with a line drawing illustrating what happens.
- Next come Questions (Quaestiones). Pars 1 (Part 1) is multiple choice, Pars 2, fill in the blank, and Pars 3, short answer.
- Sectio 3 provides material for writing a story of your own in Latin.
- Sectio 4 is for Sermones, here, "dialogues" based on the vocabulary already learned.
- The last section contains aids to the teacher, including answers to questions and translations.
Guide Review - Tres Porculi, by Rose Williams
Most English-speaking families teach their young children the story of the 3 little pigs, only the last of whom is smart enough to outwit the terrible wolf who huffs and puffs and tries unsuccessfully to blow his brick house down. In Rose Williams' version, the poor wolf (lupus) "inflat et afflat, et inflabat et afflabat, sed non potest deflare casam...." of bricks. The last scene of the story shows the third porculus rubbing his overstuffed belly, with a pot hanging from the fireplace showing where he cooked the intruder who had used the chimney to gain entry after his blowing failed.
Altogether a charming rendition of the violent story. Children familiar with the story will be able to guess what happens, especially if they follow along by looking at the pictures. In addition, Rose Williams provides questions that challenge young listeners to pay attention, and enough guidance so that, although Tres Porculi is designed for instructors, parents with little Latin will be able take their homeschooled children through it.
