Customer Reviews

Leola And The Honeybears

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First I must say 5 stars do not do this book justice. I read this book to my Kindergarten class and ALL were enraptured by this wonderful retelling of a classic fairy tale. They wanted to hear it over and over. It was such a popular book among my grade level collegues that the school librarian requested the ISBN number to order a copy for the entire school. I must say this book deserves 10 stars.

I Must have read this book a few dozen times to my girls. Each one has there favorite part. Like "ole Mister Weasle" The pictures are beautiful. Each of my girls can see herself in the main character "Leola". Each time they read it they hang on every word. I also made up special voices for the characters. You will not be let down if you purchase this book.Theresa 2000

This book is a wonderful addition to your home library whether you have a youngster or not. My 3-year-old daughter actually received this book as a present from her nana and made her read it about 5 times that same evening. It is a delightful re-telling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears that you don't mind reading over and over again (as most children insist that you do). The southern flavor and colorful pictures make it a very unique treasure. Not to mention that now the typical blond and blue-eyed Goldilocks is now a bright-eyed, brown-skinned beautiful little girl whom my daughter can better relate to. A definite must have!

My son and I both love this version of Goldilocks and the three bears. The story has original elements even though the the three bears theme is evident. We love looking at the illustrations which are large, vibrant, and colorful; It is nice to see more books with African American characters! You would not regret purchasing this book to add to your child's library.

I found this book because my name is also Leola. I was so excited to see something that shared my name I had to buy it. The frist thing i noticed apon receiving the book was the beautiful pictures. This will be a book that your children want to read over and over again!

I must say I agree with the reviewer who said this book deserves more than 5 stars. The illustrations are gorgeous! I have read this book so many times that I am on my third copy. All my students, grades K through 3 have loved this book. It's a great book to talk about prediction since many boys and girls know the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. They like finding out these bears are friendly and kind. The illustrations by Melodye Benson Rosales are just outstanding. The colors she uses are gorgeous. I have my students draw their favorite parts and then we put them together in sequence. The pictures are always so colorful and cheerful (except for those of the dark woods). I can't read it enough I love it so much.

This well-written tale is entertaining and is very much like the original version (Goldie Locks and the Three Bears). The story has a quick beginning. On the first two pages, Leola is shown helping her grandmother with the laundry, and chasing milkweed seeds into the woods. Then all of a suddden, the action begins as she makes her way out of the dark and dangerous woods and heads towards the Honeybears' house. The setting removes the tale from the real world when Leola meets a talking weasel and three talking bears. The main character and the plot are simple and direct. In this tale, the action never slows down, and the events move quickly to a happy ending. The language used is lively and engaging. It keeps to the oral tradition by using a minimum of descriptive words, rich dialogue, and repetitious phrases. Some of the language used by the grandmother has a southern dialect to it (e.g., listen child, folks, mind me). The illustrations are vibrant and they add to the story. The illustrations also help extend the story. For instance, the first two illustrations show a wide-open grassy field, with a small cottage in the middle. This allows the reader to see that Leola and her grandmother live in the country. All the illustrations help depict the events in the story splendidly. After reading this book to my third graders, they made a comparison chart to compare this tale with the original tale. Then they made paper bag puppets to retell the story. This is a must have book. Readers are sure to fall in love with Leola and the beautiful illustrations.

Leola and the Honeybears is a timeless classic recreated to fit the African American world. Leola is a sweet, stubborn little girl who is just waiting for an adventure. But, when Leola wanders off into the Pine Hollow Woods and meets Ol' Mister Weasel, she was in big, big trouble. What seemed to be a little house there to save the day became the house of an angry bear family. And, of course, they were mad at little Leola. What's a girl to do?
I really loved this book. Although it was basically the same story as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Melodye Benson Rosales did a terrific job bringing it into the African American world. Melodye used excellent word choice and showed off the story with beautiful pictures. Leola and the Honeybears is a fantastic children's book and definitely deserves two thumbs way up. I recommend this book for all ages.