Not too long and not too short, this quirky and clever retelling is juuuuust right.
An adept tweak turns the classic Goldilocks story on its head.
Rather than three bears, we now meet the Goldilocks family, consisting of Mr., Mrs., and Goldie Goldilocks, all pale-skinned and blond, as they head to the woods for a camping trip. After pitching their tents, tuning their instruments (for campfire songs), and making s’mores (which they put aside for now), they set off on a walk. Not long after, a curious bear shows up and in classic Goldilocks style starts to wreak good-natured havoc. The s’mores are too gooey, too chocolatey, and just right (but he eats all three anyway, along with all the other food, because “that’s how bears roll”). The bear is similarly destructive as he tries out the instruments and the tents, where he decides to take a snooze. Horne’s text admirably incorporates good camping know-how (the Goldilocks family puts out their fire before going hiking) while continually upsetting expectations about what might happen next. Rife with humorous touches, the easygoing writing absolutely begs to be read in front of a crowd. Visually, Yaccarino applies his trademark retro-50s style (right down to Mrs. Goldilocks’ mid-calf-length pants) while putting his own spin on the storyline (the bear can be seen haunting the campgrounds long before he’s mentioned in the text).
Not too long and not too short, this quirky and clever retelling is juuuuust right. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 1, 2025
ISBN: 9780823455522
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2026
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.
Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.
Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781464268076
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2026
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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