The 'offensive' tale of Three Little Cowboy Builders

A children’s book failed to make the shortlist of an annual schools award because the judges said it was offensive to builders.

The Three Little Cowboy Builders, a re-telling of the Three Little Pigs, supposedly “stereotypes trades people”. The book’s publishing company, Shoo-fly, were given feedback from the judges of the Bett Award that criticised the portrayal of builders as pigs whose work can easily be blown down.

Anne Curtis, creative director of Shoo-fly publishing, told Building.co.uk that the moral of the book is to learn a trade rather than stereotyping people.

She said: “The three pig’s mother tells them to go to school and get qualifications but they say they don’t need them. The wolf is a housing inspector and when he comes and asks to see the architects’ plans of their three houses, and they can’t produce them, he huffs and puffs and blows their houses down.”

The wolf is a housing inspector and when he comes and asks to see the architects’ plans of their three houses, and they can’t produce them, he huffs and puffs

Ann Curtis

“We’re really encouraging people to get qualifications and trades. I think we’re promoting good building practice.”

Becta, the government technology agency that organises the awards, said: “The feedback makes clear that the issues highlighted were a small selection from a much broader range of comments which in the round make clear why the product did not win.”

According to Shoo-fly Becta also said that the use of pigs as characters in the story meant they “could not recommend it to the Muslim community”.