Goldenlocks and the Three Pirates

by April Jones Prince, Steven Salerno (Illustrator)

Overview

A fun and clever picture book retelling of Goldilocks—with pirates!

Once upon a seaworthy sloop lived three pirates: the big, pilfering Papa, the medium-sized, menacing Mama, and the small, bonny Baby, a pirate-in-training. They were excellent pirates, but not very good housekeepers, so their gruel wasn't tasty, their stools weren't sturdy, and their hammocks weren't hung properly. Luckily for them, Goldenlocks happened along when they were out for a row in the harbor. April Jones Prince's rollicking text and Steven Salerno's swashbuckling paintings make Goldenlocks and the Three Pirates a first-rate adventure and a spirited take on Goldilocks.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374300746
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	11/21/2017
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	357,146
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

April Jones Prince is the author of several picture books, including Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing. She is also a literary agent. She lives in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.

Steven Salerno has illustrated more than twenty picture books, including Brothers At Bat, which made the NY Times Book Review's list of notable picture books for 2012, BOOM!, and Coco the Carrot. A graduate of Parsons School of Design, he lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

09/11/2017
Prince (What Do Wheels Do All Day?) cleverly recasts the three bears as swashbuckling pirates in this alliterative twist on Goldilocks. A “pilfering Papa pirate,” “menacing Mama pirate,” and “bonny Baby pirate-in-training” live on a “seaworthy sloop” in the harbor. When Mama’s attempt to make gruel leaves her cursing (“Flaming blazes!”), the trio sets off for shore. Enter Goldenlocks, a “lonesome lass” out for a row. She improves the gruel with a pinch of nutmeg and repairs Baby’s stool so that it’s “sturdy as a sea chest.” Many readers will know the outlines of this plot by heart, but Salerno (The Kid from Diamond Street) builds suspense with his sketches of the red-faced, scowling pirates as they bellow, stomp, and finally confront Goldenlocks, before recognizing how handy she is. Prince has a knack for pirate lingo, and she uses it to its utmost (the book includes a glossary). After hearing Papa cry, “Shiver me timbers, someone’s been eating me gruel,” readers may have trouble going back to the original story—pirates are just more fun than bears. Ages 4–7. Author’s agency: Studio Goodwin Sturges. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

This clever mash-up [is] ideal for a rollicking good readaloud.” —Booklist

“Arr-guably the best pirate fairy tale to sail the seven storytimes.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A raucous and nautical take on the classic “Goldilocks” story . . . Equally delightful for preschool storytimes or one-on-one readings.” —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

10/01/2017
PreS-Gr 1— A raucous and nautical take on the classic "Goldilocks" story with an extravagant pirate family and a handy and competent heroine. Somewhere out at sea on a "seaworthy sloop" there were the three pirates—big, pilfering Papa pirate; medium-size, menacing Mama pirate; and small, bonny Baby pirate. While cunning with a cutlass, Mama pirate is a terrible cook, and one morning after burning the gruel the trio rows to shore and leaves their ship unattended. Goldenlocks happens along and climbs aboard, but instead of leaving the usual trail of destruction in her wake, she manages to remedy, repair, and mend all that she encounters. When the fierce pirate family returns, it is to a noticeably improved ship. They happily invite Goldenlocks to join their crew and together they set off on more adventures. The delightfully cheery and detailed full-bleed illustrations fill each page with color and excitement. Nautical lingo and a hearty sprinkling of "Piratese" add to the amusement of reading the story aloud and a handy "Pirate Glossary" in the back helps to alleviate any possible confusion. Even at their most fierce, the pirate family with their excessively angry expressions and excellent eyebrows are more fun than frightening and the spry Goldenlocks with her flowing tresses and practical pantaloons is a welcome change from the frilled and encumbered costumes of other fairy tale predecessors. VERDICT Equally delightful for preschool storytimes or one-on-one readings, this piratical permutation of "Goldilocks" is an enjoyable addition to most collections.— Laken Hottle, Providence Community Library

School Library Journal