Goldilocks [Hardcover]

Ruth Sanderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2009 | Grade Level: P and up

Beloved illustrator Ruth Sanderson offers a fresh, heartwarming twist to the classic story. In the new happy ending, Goldilocks makes up for her presumptuous infractions on the Three Bears' household by helping them make muffins with the berries she's picked from the woods near their home. Charming artwork--topped off with a tried-and-true recipe for homemade blueberry muffins--make this new edition of Goldilocks a story time treasure that is just right.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2—Sanderson's retelling begins in a familiar vein: Goldilocks is out in the woods (here, picking blueberries), where she encounters an empty house that she can't resist exploring. After tasting the porridge, rocking in the chairs, and trying out the beds, she falls fast asleep. With the entrance of the bears, the tale veers onto a different track. A no-nonsense Mama Bear quickly has Goldilocks straightening the messed bed and helping to repair the broken chair. But when it comes to the empty bowls, Goldilocks, her basket in hand, becomes the one in charge: "Blueberries are very good for breakfast," she suggests. Mama Bear happily agrees and brings out the rest of the ingredients; together they all enjoy muffins right from the oven. The artist warms her version of this oft-told tale with lavish accoutrements, costumes, and furniture that suggest a Scandinavian setting, which will entice viewers to explore the far corners of the pages. Characters are presented up close: the furry-faced bears have stern yet friendly countenances while Goldilocks has just the right mixture of sauciness, curiosity, and kindness to give credibility. The large, richly colored images make this an ideal classroom read-aloud, and Mama Bear's recipe for blueberry muffins offers a nice finishing touch.—Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA END

About the Author

Ruth Sanderson is the author and illustrator of numerous fairy tales for readers of all ages including Mother Goose and Friends, Cinderella, The Night Before Christmas, and The Twelve Dancing Princesses. She lives with her family in Easthampton, Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316778850
• ISBN-13: 978-0316778855
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 0.4 x 11.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,014,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I loved two things the most when I was growing up - fairy tales and horses. And over the past 30-odd years I have been drawing and painting them both for the many books I have illustrated. My latest fairy tale is GOLDILOCKS, and THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES will be back in print in 2011.

I have a BLOG about creating the artwork for the new HORSE DIARIES chapter book series- http://horsediaries.blogspot.com/. My website is www.ruthsanderson.com. Thanks for buying books!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully Done - My daughter really liked it (Goldilocks by Ruth Sanderson), November 19, 2009

By 

Pam Tee "Busy Mom" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Goldilocks (Hardcover)

This is a beautifully illustrated book and if you are looking for an interesting variation of the Goldilocks story, I most heartily recommend it.

Now purists are going to gripe that it doesn't stick with tradition, but I think that there's room for new interpretations as well as the old ones, particularly when they are so well done. In this story, Goldilocks is picking blue berries when she happens across the bears cottage. All the usual actions follow. She tries the porridges. She tries the chairs and then the beds. The difference comes in that the bears are very civilized -- they remind me of the bear family that Maurice Sendak drew for Elsa Holmelund Minarik's "Little Bear" series -- and Goldie's punishment is not being scared to death, but being asked to make-up the beds she messed up. They then go on to make a new breakfast, this time with muffins made with the blueberries that Goldilocks picked.

Though hardly traditional, it's a nice lesson that people should expect to try to rectify their messes.

Talking Points:::

o Gorgeous illustrations. The color is lush and detailed.

o The bears are civilized and Goldilocks ends up making friends with them.

o There's a recipe for blueberry muffins that's included.

o Would make a nice gift for a young child interested in this story.

Pam T~

mom and reviewer at BooksforKids-reviews

(1044)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars alternative ending, April 5, 2011

By 

M. Heiss (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Goldilocks (Hardcover)

This is a very cute Goldilocks, very likeable, with pretty Scandinavian details in the clothes and decorations. At the end of the story, Goldilocks stays to make the beds, repair the chair, and bake blueberry muffins with the bears.

Pretty. Very cute for younger children. We prefer Jan Brett's beautiful "Goldilocks" or James Marshall's very naughty "Goldilocks." But then again, I am reading to older boys.

4.0 out of 5 stars For toddlers who enjoy housekeeping, January 6, 2012

By 

Anne E. Brady "annie_123" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Goldilocks (Hardcover)

My two-year old loves to "help" make the bed. She loves sweeping and cleaning and cooking. She loves holding tools and pretending to fix things. This story is perfect for her. (but I give it only four stars because I'm the poor mother who has to read it to her over and over- and it isn't my favorite at all)