BEAR AND THE THREE GOLDILOCKS

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.