The 3 Bears and Goldilocks - Hardcover

Heather M. Solomon was named a Publishers Weekly Flying Start for Clever Beatrice, winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award. She is also the illustrator of Clever Beatrice and the Best Little Pony by Margaret Willey and If I Were a Lion by Sarah Weeks. She lives in New Mexico with her husband, daughter, and son, who especially love to share joyous secrets.

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 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
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