Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #136289 in Books
• Published on: 1996-05-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Amazon.com
Children find the story of Goldilocks delightful for so many reasons. There's a trespassing little girl, for starters, who barges into the bears' house uninvited and not only snoops around, but eats the bears' food! The suspense of wondering whether she'll get caught only adds to the thrill of the trespassing itself, and the repeated lines about the three bears with their three distinct voices, bowls, chairs, and beds further endear this tale to the preschool set. In Jan Brett's Goldilocks, the bears and the slightly audacious flaxen-haired heroine all sport traditional (Black Forest?) costumes with detailed embroidery, and the wooden furniture is carved with bears, birds, and flowers. (Intricate borders--carved wooden panels in this book--are Jan Brett's special signature.) Brett is the illustrator of many well-known folk tales, fairy tales, and poems, such as The Mitten and Edward Lear's The Owl and the Pussycat. Of her exquisite interpretation of this beloved story, Booklist writes, "This is perfection." (Ages 3 to 6)

From Publishers Weekly
PW found this "beautifully executed retelling . . . distinguished by the use of luxuriant color and a wealth of visual detail." Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2 Brett's retelling, adapted from Andrew Lang, is strong and smooth. These well-heeled Scandinavian-looking bears live in a house that would put yuppy collectors of country homes and folk art to shame, and the elaborate, imaginative, and richly colored designs bear repeated viewings. Every tuft of beary fur is clear, every item of clothing is ornamented, and every article of furniture is carved, patterned, or decorated. Bear motifs are repeated throughout, including carved bear beds, handmade bear porridge bowls, and a solid bear door. Brett's use of borders continues to expand upon the storyline. Here wide woody borders in the double-page spreads contain elements of the action occuring elsewhere. They alternate with simple narrow borders in the single-page illustrations. Personality emerges nicely. The ``little, small, wee'' bear bumbles into everything, and the great huge bear is alternately gentle and gruff, but the middle-sized bear attracts little direct attention. Goldilocks is somewhat less successful. At first, her face is finely drawn, but in later pages it's a bit flattened. Overall, some readers might wish for less decorations and some imaginative space, and may be overwhelmed by the amount of detail, but Brett's fans will be delighted. Leda Schubert, Vermont Department of Education, Montpelier
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Gorgeous illustrations but weak text
We have almost all of Jan Brett's books. The highly detailed illustrations in Goldilocks in the Three Bears are just as stunning as those in any of Brett's other books. She has put so many thoughtful little touches in the pictures that they really bring this classic folktale to life.

My 2-year old son asks for this book frequently, and I enjoy reading it to him. However, I always alter the text when I read it, because Brett's text is very clunky and tedious to read through. For example, every time the bears say something it's not "Papa Bear said," or "Baby Bear said," but "The great, huge bear said in his great huge, rough, gruff voice," and "The little small wee bear said, in his little small wee voice." This excess of words gets very tiresome very quickly, and I'm not sure why Brett wanted to refer to the bears by their size rather than by Papa, Mama, and Baby Bear, as the story has always been told in the past.

But it's not difficult to edit the text while reading. I would recommend this book for the illustrations alone, because they are truly beautiful. Jan Brett is a gifted artist and her books make a lovely addition to any family's library. I also highly recommend her beautiful rendition of "The Owl and the Pussycat."

A wonderfully illustrated version of a timeless classic.
I found this wonderful classic inspirational ! That Ms. Brett would go to such INCREDIBLE detail and fine art to tell the story. Even when my children were small - we would study every page EVERY time we read it and linger on the intricacy. Well done!

Skip this one
I love Jan Brett's books, but this is not one of my favorites. The wording is tedious to read, and I found myself skipping sentences to avoid it. The illustrations are beautiful, but even my husband agrees...it's just not one of her better books.