Goatilocks and the Three Bears - Hardcover

Perl, Erica S.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1442401680 ISBN 13: 9781442401686

Publisher: Beach Lane Books, 2014

Synopsis

Goatilocks gobbles more than porridge in this fractured fairy tale that puts a hilarious twist on a favorite story.

Once upon a time, there was a kid named Goatilocks.
She lived down the road from a family of bears...

Goatilocks can’t resist sampling first Papa Bear’s porridge, then Mama Bear’s porridge, then Baby Bear’s porridge—and his bowl and spoon, too. And it turns out Goatilocks has a taste for chairs and beds as well. Has Goatilocks devoured her way to disaster? What will happen when the Bear family returns home from their walk?

This playful adaptation of a favorite fairy tale is full of tummy-rumbling fun.

About this title

About the Author

Erica S. Perl is a full-time writer and part-time chicken. She is the author of Chicken Butt!; Ninety-Three in My Family (Reuben Award, Book Sense Pick, Slate Best Book), which School Library Journal called a “comic masterpiece”; and Chicken Bedtime Is Really Early, which received a starred review from Booklist. She lives with her family in Washington, DC.

Arthur Howard is the illustrator of the Mr. Putter & Tabby, Gooseberry Park, and Motor Mouse series by Cynthia Rylant; Goatilocks and the Three Bears by Erica S. Perl; Noodle & Lou by Liz Garton Scanlon; and his own picture books including My Creepy Valentine, My Dream Dog, and When I Was Five. He lives in New York City.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 3—While the bear family is out for a walk, a young goat sneaks into their home. Goatilocks tries the typical three bowls of porridge, three chairs, and three beds, but with typical goatlike behavior, she also eats Baby Bear's spoon, chair, and bed. When she is discovered by the three bears, she hoofs it home. Returning the following day and feeling sheepish, Goatilocks offers flowers to the bears, which they all eat. Events in Perl's humorous and fresh retelling of the traditional tale unfold at a quick pace. Howard's cheery and detailed watercolors infuse extra doses of charm into the story, such as bear faces printed on wallpaper and a pair of salt and pepper shakers resting on the bears' picnic blanket. The number three is reinforced repeatedly in the artwork beginning with Howard's inclusion of three ladybugs crawling along a flower stem on the title page. In later illustrations, observant children discover three goldfish, three birds, three squirrels, and three bunnies. Howard adds humorous tidbits that will even evoke chuckles from adults, such as the name "Kodiak" inscribed on Papa Bear's camera. Perl and Howard's work provides an entertaining alternative to more traditional versions of the story. Teachers can successfully use it in compare-and-contrast lessons with other versions of the tale. Families, too, should find this picture book to be a bedtime read-aloud treat.—Lynn Vanca, Freelance Librarian, Akron, OH

Starring “a kid named Goatilocks” (kid as in “young goat”), this fractured nursery tale begins when Goatilocks spies the bear family setting out for a walk and ventures into their house to try their bowls of porridge, their chairs, and their beds. She eats Baby Bear’s porridge (bowl, spoon, and all); his chair; and his bed before falling into a contented slumber. Upon awakening, Goatilocks finds the stupefied bears looming over her and makes a fast getaway, but she returns the next morning to make amends. This picture book makes good use of page turns for dramatic and comic effect. Brightened with watercolor washes, Howard’s cartoonlike line drawings add expressive characterizations and witty visual touches. The precisely worded text retains the satisfying structure of the original tale while adding some amusing twists and a couple of enjoyable puns. Fun for reading aloud to groups of children, this Goldilocks spoof offers a good narrative, plenty of laughs, and a happy ending. Preschool-Grade 2. --Carolyn Phelan

Edition details

• Publisher: Beach Lane Books
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1442401680
• ISBN 13: 9781442401686
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Howard Arthur
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40