The story of the three little pigs is a well-known European folk tale, with many adaptations and variations, some of them with a different number of little pigs or other animals. It is a typical coming of age story. Like many other fable and fairy tale heroes, the three little pigs leave home to seek their fortune in the beginning. Although the traditional tale of the houses built by the three little pigs has been retold and republished many times, Leslie Brooke's illustrations are probably the most beautiful ever made for the story.