Not for All the Hamantaschen in Town

A big, bad wolf crosses paths with three pigs named Rishon, Sheni, and Shlishi—which translate to “first,” “second,” and “third” for those who didn’t attend (or pay attention at) Hebrew School—at a Purim carnival. To his credit, the wolf isn’t in the market for pork chops: he only wants to buy some freshly baked hamantaschen. The wolf soon realizes that he will need a disguise if he’s going to visit the carnival, so he resolves to steal one of the homemade crowns that the pigs have made for their Purim costumes. This is a well-intentioned but over-stuffed and odd narrative: newcomer Milhander not only tries to tie together the elements and lessons of both the Purim story and “The Three Little Pigs” (the title is meant to riff on “Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin”), she also includes an anti-bullying message. “You may be big,” Shlishi tells the wolf, “but you don’t have to be bad.” Chernyak fares better: her candy colors, skewed perspectives, and wide-eyed characters give the scenes a sweetly goofy energy. Ages 3–8. (Feb.)■