Goldilocks Returns [Hardcover]

Lisa Campbell Ernst (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Thirty years after Goldilocks first met the three bears, she returns to fix up their cottage and soothe her guilty conscience.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fifty years after vandalizing the Three Bears' house, Goldilocks clearly has some issues to resolve. Nagged by guilt, she buys some groceries, straps on a tool belt and heads for "the deep, dark woods." Finding the Bears away, she replaces their steaming porridge with fat-free snacks and re-stuffs their beds ("Just as I remembered: too hard, too soft," she tsks). When the Bears return, theyAand readersAexperience profound d?j? vu. Ernst, the author of the revisionist Little Red Riding Hood: A Newfangled Prairie Tale, puts a campy spin on a classic story. All the characters suffer long-term effects from their legendary first meeting; Baby Bear never left his childhood home, and "due to the fright brought on by Goldilocks, he still had a wee little voice." Ernst is at her wittiest when depicting the mild-mannered Bears, whose wide-eyed disbelief fades to glum acceptance of the unsolicited home improvements; there's also a satirical edge to the pastel palette, whose sentimental shades underline Goldi's friendly but misguided intentions. Goldilocks has grown from a curious child to a full-fledged meddler in this humorous retelling. Ages 4-8. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-An enjoyable sequel to the classic tale. Now middle-aged, Goldi has opened a locksmith shop "to help people protect themselves against snoops" and alleviate her guilt over what she did to the Bear family years ago. Still haunted by her past, she decides to visit the Bears to make amends. She finds them living exactly as before, even though Baby Bear is also now middle-aged. Goldi arrives just after the Bears have left for their morning walk and begins by installing locks on their doors (to deter intruders like herself). She then goes on to adjust the upholstery in the chairs and the beds, redecorate, and replace the Bears' unhealthy porridge with celery juice and fat-free rutabaga bars. When the Bears come home, they are more upset than ever, until the next morning when they leave for their walk and spy a young blond girl approaching their home. In the hope that she will undo Goldi's efforts, they continue merrily on their way. Ernst's cartoon-style art, done in pastel, ink, and pencil, work well and add bits of additional humor, especially in the double-page spread of the shop. Children will appreciate Goldi's attempts at repair, especially her "improvement" of the Bears' food. All in all, a solid addition to the world of fractured fairy tales.
Ellen A. Greever, University of New Orleans, LA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers; 1st edition (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689825374
• ISBN-13: 978-0689825378
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #425,350 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amusing..., May 24, 2000

By 

Jo. (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Goldilocks Returns (Hardcover)

As a kindergarten teacher I read this book to my school children...They liked it but that's about it. The premise is good and illustrations were suited for this age group though they were busy and didn't completely "illustrate" what the text was saying - which is one reason it would have been better for older children. The naughty little Goldilocks returns to the 3 bears home to "make up for" her wrong doings in years prior. She redecorates, places locks on the doors to keep "the likes of her" out and throws out the bears food replacing it with rutabaga bars and celery juice. Much to the bears dismay, they are not pleased. My kids did figure out the ending (I won't give it away) and it is quite clever. The humor is good, but again, it might have been better for a 6-7 year olds rather than 5 year olds as some of the humor and language relating to the humor was too subtle and "mature" for young ones to understand (although my intern and I laughed outloud). This book would be a great lesson in compare/contrast with a classic Goldilocks story or with a venn diagram in the classroom, but only for 1-2 grades (maybe even 3rd). If you're reading this outloud to a child alone, I'm sure it would have much more of an impact. I liked it overall...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clever Sequel, February 24, 2002

By 

Dawn Woolcott (Vancouver WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Goldilocks Returns (Hardcover)

This is a clever sequel to the Goldilocks & the 3 Bears fairy tale. It is as much fun for the adult to read as for the children to hear. Goldilocks is now a middle aged woman who runs a store called "Goldie's Locks and Keys". She is racked with guilt for the trouble she caused the 3 bears so long ago and sets out to repair the damage she had caused. The bears aren't so enthusiastic about her return this time either. I enjoyed reading it and the illustrations are great. My 3 1/2 yr old daughter didn't catch all the inside jokes, but a 4 to 5 year old probably would.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Golden Oldie Goldie Book, November 19, 2009

By 

The Three Woods "mommy2lile" (USA proud to be an American) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Goldilocks Returns (Hardcover)

This cute story takes place 50 years after the first Goldilocks book. Goldie is now an "oldie" who owns her own security shop to protect people (and bears) from prowlers entering their home as she did to the bears. It's her way of trying to redeem her past mistakes. However, it doesn't seem to work because she is still suffering from nightmares at night about bears, sees her customers as bears and is terrified of teddy bears. After one particular restless night, Goldie decides to go back to the bears' house and "fix" everything she did wrong before. What follows is some of the funniest events I read in a childrens' book. You'll definitely want to check this book out.

On a side note: The book was so enjoyable, a fellow teacher and I put on a play for our school about it. Every year we do "Story Night" at our school where the story comes alive. We had someone to play the part of Goldie and others for the bears as the book was narrated by us. The play was a great success with everyone fully enjoying the story. Well, everyone but the class hamster who squeaked his wheel in protest.