Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Recent Releases

Besides the Goldilocks and the Three Bears from Lauren Child I've posted about previously, 2009 has brought us two other Goldilocks by well-known illustrators.

The first, Goldilocks by Ruth Sanderson, came out in October. Sanderson is no stranger to fairy tales, having had great success already with her Twelve Dancing Princesses, Snow White and Rose Red, and Cinderella among others. (Just look at the used prices on her out-of-print titles to gauge her popularity!)

I haven't seen any reviews for the book yet--it is perhaps too new, but I'm sure it is as lovely as her previous work. (No, I haven't seen a physical copy yet. My closest bookstore is a Books-a-Million ten miles away. Not very helpful for scouting the types of books I offer here.)


Earlier this year, before I started this blog, we also had Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Gennady Spirin. Spirin, too, has illustrated other fairy tales previously. One of my favorites of is The Tale of the Firebird.

A review from Publishers Weekly:

In his adaptation of the Goldilocks story, Spirin's (The Lord Is My Shepherd) lush colored pencil and watercolor spreads are as elaborate as the text is simple. Against white backdrops, Goldilocks and the bears are drawn in great realistic detail, along with judicious use of ornate setting details and delicate page ornamentation. These bears have fierce claws and teeth, but their apparel is nothing short of royal, dotted with jewels and pearls, and trimmed with feathers and gold. The text, conversely, is completely free of metaphors or complex sentences, the story stripped to its tag-line essence: "Who's been sitting in my chair?" asks each bear parent as Little Bear laments, "My chair's broken!" The suspenseful scene as the bears find Goldilocks asleep in Little Bear's well-appointed bed is followed by an abrupt illustration in which Goldilocks runs away, looking more gleeful than terrified, as each of the bears says, "Bye," and the narrator informs the reader, "And that's the end of the story!" Goldilocks' face doesn't always transmit her emotions clearly, but overall this is an enchanting-visually, at least-version. Ages 3-7.

A review from School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 2—Spirin's version of this classic pairs a simple, straightforward retelling with lush Renaissance costumes and elegant page designs. The bears, rendered in watercolor and colored pencil, are solid, realistic creatures, revealing sharp teeth and claws. Papa and Mama Bear, generally appearing together in their fur-trimmed garments, dominate their vertical space—in contrast to their diminutive son. The setting is created with richly realized essentials: solid porridge bowls, carved chairs, ornate beds, a massive stucco and wood-trimmed dwelling. Expansive white space surrounds the characters on most spreads, with embellished lines creating decorative, horizontal borders on selected pages. The creatures seem to regard their intruder more as a curiosity than a criminal; as the golden-haired child runs away down the path, they simply wave and call out their farewells. A source note concludes the text. The Goldilocks shelf is crowded; readers can turn to James Marshall for humor, Jan Brett for details, Valeri Gorbachev for whimsy, and Jim Aylesworth for Victorian, to name but a few. This newcomer will be embraced for its visual clarity and sumptuous style at storytimes and bedtimes alike. —Wendy Lukehart

I'd add Caralyn Buehner to the short list, too.

So there are quite a few Goldilocks to choose from with these three new ones this year, not including all of the other versions printed as throw-aways by other publishers.

Personally, I'm waiting for someone to do a Silverlocks version...