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Overview
We all know that Goldilocks has a lot to say about the Three Bears. Everything they have is either too hot or too cold or too big or too lumpy or too hard or too soft or too completely, absolutely wrong. Only one of them can get anything right! Just right, that is.
But have you ever wondered, even for the littlest mini-second, what the Three Bears think about her?
Well, it turns out those bears have a thing or two, or three, to say...
Margaret Willey turns this fav-orite classic upside down...because there's always another side to the story....
Synopsis
We all know that Goldilocks has a lot to say about the Three Bears. Everything they have is either too hot or too cold or too big or too lumpy or too hard or too soft or too completely, absolutely wrong. Only one of them can get anything right! Just right, that is.
But have you ever wondered, even for the littlest mini-second, what the Three Bears think about her?
Well, it turns out those bears have a thing or two, or three, to say...
Margaret Willey turns this fav-orite classic upside down...because there's always another side to the story....
Children's Literature
This retelling of the traditional tale features a bold and curious Goldilocks. At the start, she is being admonished by her father to be careful. He tells her not rush headlong into places where she does not belong. Goldilocks sets out for the forest and soon discovers a small cabin. She knocks three times on the door and, receiving no answer, walks in. The place is a mess; leaves, berry stems, and fish bones are strewn about. Goldilocks sweeps the debris into a large pile. The porridge on the table is not very appetizing, containing beetles, bark, and lumps of grass. Goldilocks picks these items out, pours honey over the rest, and eats the contents of the smallest bowl. Looking for a comfortable place to rest, she discovers three beds. These are composed of straw, leaves, pine needles, and bird feathers covered by fuzzy blankets. She falls asleep on the smallest one. When the bears find her, they take pity on such a small creature. Goldilocks wakes, jumps through a window, and runs home. The illustrations are bright and colorful, depicting the bears' home as something between a natural den and a human house. This book could be used as a story starter to encourage children to write their own original versions of the tale. Reviewer: Phyllis Kennemer, Ph.D.
Editorials
Children's Literature -
This retelling of the traditional tale features a bold and curious Goldilocks. At the start, she is being admonished by her father to be careful. He tells her not rush headlong into places where she does not belong. Goldilocks sets out for the forest and soon discovers a small cabin. She knocks three times on the door and, receiving no answer, walks in. The place is a mess; leaves, berry stems, and fish bones are strewn about. Goldilocks sweeps the debris into a large pile. The porridge on the table is not very appetizing, containing beetles, bark, and lumps of grass. Goldilocks picks these items out, pours honey over the rest, and eats the contents of the smallest bowl. Looking for a comfortable place to rest, she discovers three beds. These are composed of straw, leaves, pine needles, and bird feathers covered by fuzzy blankets. She falls asleep on the smallest one. When the bears find her, they take pity on such a small creature. Goldilocks wakes, jumps through a window, and runs home. The illustrations are bright and colorful, depicting the bears' home as something between a natural den and a human house. This book could be used as a story starter to encourage children to write their own original versions of the tale. Reviewer: Phyllis Kennemer, Ph.D.School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 3
Set in "the farthest reaches of the far north," this version of the tale features a plucky lass who, warned by her father "...not to rush headlong into places where you don't belong," nevertheless ventures into the forest and into the bears' messy "cabin," which she sweeps clean. Removing the beetles and other unappealing lumps from Baby Bear's porridge, she eats all of the cereal, then settles down on his small, soft bed for a short snooze. Returning from a walk, the bears, at first annoyed by the rearrangement of their domain, take pity on the "poor creature" they find sleeping in Baby Bear's bed, but Goldilocks reacts with fear and bolts the premises. There is a rustic feel to the illustrations, rendered in watercolor, collage, colored pencil, acrylic, and oil paint. The bears' residence is shown to be a sort of rustic hogan constructed of bent saplings, vines, and bark, the interior strewn with pieces of the outdoors and the remains of meals. Large bowls hold porridge dotted with dead beetles, lumps of grass, and other natural matter. Beds are made from blankets thrown over piles of leaves, feathers, and other forest detritus. Woven baskets and earthenware bowls and vases sit on and around a great stone fireplace. Written and illustrated by the same pair that created Clever Beatrice (S & S, 2001), this satisfying read-aloud offers a new twist on an old favorite.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH