Goldilocks and the Three Bears [Hardcover]

Valeri Gorbachev (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2001 | Age Level: 4 and up

From the creator of Nicky and the Big, Bad Wolves, comes a fresh and irresistibly appealing new version of a nursery favorite. Valeri Gorbachev's humorous illustrations, filled with homey details, presents a delightful family of bears whose bemused reaction to their intruder is sure to elicit children's smiles. Here is a warm and cozy Goldilocks that's "just right" for very young children.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gorbachev (Nicky and the Big, Bad Wolves) opens her faithful retelling with a fire crackling in the hearth as "great big father bear" sits playing the fiddle in his slippers, "middle-sized mother bear" dozes over a book and "wee small baby bear" raids the cookie jar. This bear family is as friendly a furry trio as ever set paws in a forest. As the golden-haired interloper proceeds to test porridge bowls, chairs and beds, Gorbachev keeps the familiar story line satisfyingly clean and crisp ("Then she tried the wee small baby bear's wee small bed, and it was just right!"). Meanwhile, he heightens the suspense with periodic glimpses of the bear family's outing through various windows. The climactic moment, when the ursine trio discovers Goldilocks, is accompanied by grins rather than growls. The non-threatening bears (father bear sports a bow tie) look quite eager to meet their little visitor, who scampers off nevertheless. Gorbachev's watercolors, in a largely earth-toned palette, offer a smattering of amusing touches (such as mother bear's gold hoop earrings) and his snug interiors conjure a cozy and comforting world. Ages 6 mos.-3 yrs.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1-In this edition, the story remains true to the original. Goldilocks arrives at the bears' house, eats their porridge, sits in their chairs, and falls asleep in baby bear's bed. Father bear speaks in his great big voice and baby bear speaks in his wee small voice. What is new is the art. The illustrations are large, often encompassing the entire two-page spread. They are bright, colorful, and funny. The fuzzy brown bears dress in today's fashions and the mother bear even has pierced ears. Baby bear is always accompanied by his teddy bear. Goldilocks has the traditional blond curly hair and wears a blue bonnet. The picture of her falling into mother bear's too-soft bed is delightful. The text is short, making this a perfect version for preschoolers.

Sheilah Kosco, Rapides Parish Library, Alexandria, LA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: North-South Books (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735814384
• ISBN-13: 978-0735814387
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 11 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,199,834 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Preschoolers, July 14, 2001

By 

Heidi Anne Heiner (SurLaLune Fairy Tales.com) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Hardcover)

As a children's librarian, I am often looking for fairy tales written simply for my preschool storytimes. This book meets my needs with large, colorful pictures and simple text. The traditional story is presented although the bears are far from frightening for little children. The bears are the sympathetic characters, especially with their amusement at Goldilock's invasion of their home and their familiar clothing. Gorbachev's illustrations have many fun details, including views of the bears on their family outing through various windows of the house. The book will entertain children-and hopefully adults-- through several rereadings.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Goldilocks and the Three Bears, February 20, 2008

By 

Ann Anzalone (Pasadena, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Paperback)

My 2 year old Grandaughter loved the story and illustrations. I loved the new modern take with the baseball cap, glasses, sandels and hoop earrings for the bears' attire. A delightful and fun story from the past for today.

5.0 out of 5 stars Chock-full of detail, fun book for our 2-year-old to grow with..., April 22, 2011

By 

Nathaniel Allen (Oakland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Paperback)

Our just-turned-two son has recently been into comparisons, similarities and differences ("Same!", "Up/Down!" "NOT daddy's bike!") that I felt Goldilocks would be right at home. Amazon's reviews, naturally, led me to this book.

Looking through the Preview This Book pages, I was concerned the illustrations may be a little "muddled," but bought it anyway due to the great reviews. Well, my concern was inappropriate, and the Preview doesn't do this book justice. There is tons of detail in the drawings, and the pages a truly big, leaving lots for young and old to explore.

The text is a bit wordy for our son, but that will change as time passes. In the mean time, the story is familiar enough that my wife and I can paraphrase the story as we flip through, do all the funny voices for the bears and Goldilocks, and punch up the sudden ending that leaves a little to be desired (spoiler alert: Goldilocks jumps out the bedroom windows and runs off into the woods).

The bears are non-threatening enough that I'm fairly certain our little guy isn't going to have any nightmare difficulties at sleep time, and baby bear totes around his own stuffed teddy that caused out son and his "liddle bear" to instantly engage.