Goatilocks and the Three Bears

by Erica S. Perl, Arthur Howard (Illustrator)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442401686
Publisher:	Beach Lane Books
Publication date:	06/03/2014
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD470L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

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.

Editorial Reviews

"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. . . . Howard adds humorous tidbits that will even evoke chuckles from adults. . . . 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."

June 2014 School Library Journal

"Goldilocks as a goat? It’s unlikely casting, but Perl (Chicken Butt!) and Howard (Mr. Putter and Tabby) pull it off with abundant good humor.... The story’s colloquial tone (“Hey, where’s my chair?” complains Baby Bear) and Howard’s...freewheeling watercolors create a rollicking atmosphere."

April 2014 Publishers Weekly

"[T]his fractured nursery tale...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."

June 2014 Booklist

2014-04-09
This Goldilocks is a kid. Literally.In Howard's illustrations, the little white goat is both curious and hungry, and for Baby Bear, that means that not only is his porridge gone, but his bowl and his spoon as well, along with his chair, his bedding and a pair of his pajamas. "Burp!" As in the original, Goatilocks runs away after awakening to the three bears standing over her where she lies on the floor (she ate Baby Bear's bed), but the tale does not end there. The next day, the kid feels "sheepish" and thinks of the perfect gift to try to make it up to the bear family, and in a rather sudden ending, the four neighbors join together in chowing down on the final spread. Modern-ish language updates the fairy tale; Papa Bear says "Get a load of this!" and Goatilocks "hoofed it for home," though there is not much in the illustrations to point to any particular time period (Mama Bear does have a water bed, however). The few tongue-in-cheek details will go over the heads of the audience (Papa Bear carries a "Kodiak" camera), but there aren't enough to make this one adults will want to read repeatedly…although that may not be a problem for most kids.An uninspiring remake. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews