Review by Booklist Review
A blue-eyed Goldilocks with long golden tresses adorns the cover of this charming new version of the popular tale. Out in the forest picking blueberries, the curious girl forgot her manners and walked right into the thatched-roof cottage when no one answered the door. Porridge consumed and chair broken, she heads to the bed where upon their return the bears find her. Can we keep her? asks Baby Bear. They put her to work making the beds, helping weave the chair seat, and cooking blueberry muffins for breakfast. In elegant paintings, the bears' home is bedecked with painted cabinets, and both Goldilocks and the bears are clothed in traditional Austrian garb (think Von Trapp family singers). Children will enjoy the incredibly expressive, friendly-looking bears and the small details in the illustrations, such as bear carvings on the bedposts. In addition, they will delight not only in the turn of events but also in a recipe for blueberry muffins at the end.--Austin, Patricia Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
It's a golden year when two equally artistically rendered versions of this classic story are published. This Goldilocks loves to pick blueberries and one morning finds herself in front of a strange cottage. When no one answers she walks in, eats all the porridge, sits in the chairs and climbs into bed where the three bears find her. Instead of running away, though, Mama Bear has Goldilocks make the beds and weave new chair seats. Instead of making more porridge, Goldilocks offers her basket of blueberries for Mama Bear to make muffins (the recipe is included). Contrasting this against Gennady Spirin's Goldilocks and the Three Bears (2009), both are realistically detailed. Spirin's bears are elegantly dressed in Renaissance finery, set against white backgrounds with ornate decorations; Sanderson's pencil-and-oils paintings are more folksy, with characters in Tyrolean garb, rustic furniture and fully furnished backgrounds, pussy willows in a jug and pinecone-decorated china. The good news is there's no need to choose; buy both and feature them on holiday gift lists. (Picture book/folktale. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
