Abuelo and the Three Bears

by Jerry Tello

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Emilio's grandfather gives a Hispanic flavor to the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears as he brings a beautiful, black-braided heroine to the center of the tale.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Spanish Literature, Fiction, Cultural

Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Edmy Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abuelo y los tres osos/ Abuelo and the three Bears
Awards won:
2016 Maria Shriver's Annual Advocate for Change award,
2015 White House Champions of Change award,
California Governor's Awards two times
Ambassador of Peace Award from Rotary International
2012 Presidential Crime Victims Service award.
Abuelo y los Tres Ositos is a heartwarming and culturally rich retelling of the classic tale “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” In this version, instead of a curious blond girl wandering into a home in the woods, it is a black hair girl with long braids, who steps into the world of the three bears in a town. The story blends familiar fairy tale elements with Hispanic cultural touches, such as frijoles, tortillas, etc. introducing young readers to a story that feels both traditional and fresh. This book is great for a first/second grade classroom.
What makes this book special is how it celebrates family, respect for others, and gentle humor. The book offers bilingual language exposure and incorporates Latino family dynamics and cultural expressions and traditions, making it a meaningful read for classrooms that value diversity and identity representation.
The illustrations add charm and help bring the story to life, making it enjoyable for early readers and ideal for shared reading. The book also opens the door for discussion about manners, cultural storytelling, and how classic tales can be retold through different voices.
Why This Book Stands Out
• Introduces cultural diversity through a familiar fairy tale format.
• Offers representation and connection for Latino families and bilingual readers.
• Encourages conversation about respect, curiosity, and kindness.
• Great for read-aloud, story comparison lessons, and identity-building in young learners.
Final Thought
Abuelo y los Tres Ositos is more than a retold fairy tale — it is a celebration of culture, storytelling, and the joy of seeing ourselves reflected in books. It reminds young readers that stories are living things that can be transformed to include new voices, family traditions, language, and heart.
This book is an excellent addition to a fairy tale or folktale comparison unit. It gives students the opportunity to explore how a familiar story like Goldilocks and the Three Bears can be retold through a cultural lens, inviting discussion around who gets to be in stories and how culture shapes storytelling.
Teachers can use this text to:
• Compare and contrast character roles (Goldilocks vs. Abuelo)
• Examine setting and cultural details (traditional cottage vs. Hispanic household elements)
• Discuss respect, manners, and family values shown differently in each version
• Highlight bilingual vocabulary and cultural expressions
• Encourage students to imagine how they would retell a fairy tale using their family traditions or heritage
In this way, Abuelo y los Tres Ositos doesn’t just retell a story, it opens the door for students to become storytellers themselves, honoring their backgrounds while building literacy skills.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great for younger kids. It is based on the story of the 3 Little Bears, but has Spanish words and Latinx culturally relevancy like frijoles instead of porridge. I think this is an excellent read aloud for K-2 no matter who your audience is. If you have Spanish speaking students, they will enjoy the food and language references in Spanish, and if you don't, students can learn about the Latinx culture!

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun twist on an old story and nice Spanish/English versions in same book.

[Terry Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you read in Spanish or in English, the cultural message is clear. The traditional message of being irresponsible, disrespectful, selfish, spoiled and scared off is replaced with recognition, reasoning, consideration, openness and acceptance.
This re-writing of the classic tale of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears is retold by "Abuelo" which is Spanish for Grandfather. His telling of the story to his hungry grandson, who grows impatient waiting for relatives to arrive for dinner, helps the boy relate to the hungry Papa Bear. And replacing Goldielocks with Trencitas who has long black braids, helps the boy relate to someone from his culture. The rest of the story remains true to the traditional telling, with the exception that Trencitas is friends with Baby Bear, and once misunderstandings are cleared up, she invites the Bears over to her house for dinner where they all have conversation, tell stories and dance to music.
I found the contrast in cultures refreshing and the story should be entertaining to ages 7 and upward, especially if they are familiar with the original story.
I was first under the impression I was reading a Spanish book and I put to use my Spanish skills. Having reached the end of the book, I was impressed to find the English translation by flipping it over. I did notice in the English translation they did not include the word dancing in the text at the end as in the Spanish version, even though both versions use the illustration of the Abuelo and the Mama Bear dancing together. Either way it is a great read.

[Diego Garcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great story of a grandfather teaching his grandson how to be patient. The illustrations are well done, but I would not say they are exceptional. I did like that an illustration of the grandfather telling the story to his grandson is included on every page. This helps the reader remember who is telling the story and who is listening. It is also important to mention that this is a bilingual book written in Spanish and English. This allows students that can read in English to be able to enjoy this story. This could also be a good book for students that have parents that only read Spanish to take home and read together. The book is translated into both languages but there is also another form of translation that occurs in this book. This is an adaptation of the well-known story of Goldilocks and the Three Little Bears. The main premise of the story remains the same but several details are changed to allow for the culture of Hispanic students to be reflected. Instead of Goldilocks having blonde hair the main character in Abuelo’s story has braided black hair. The porridge is substituted for frijoles and it ends with the little girl inviting the three bears to go to her house for a big meal. I enjoyed the substitutions and a new take on this story for young readers.

[Allyson Sparks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abuelo and the Three bears, or abuelo Y Los Tres Osos, was a fun bilingual book that I actually read with three first graders. It is like two books in one because you can read it in english and then turn it upside down to read it in spanish. The english version has some spanish words in it, and it confused the kids. The story is similar to that of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. It is told by a mexican grandfather. Some of the words are different since it is latino such as beans instead of porridge and goldielocks has dark hair instead of blonde. It is still a similar story with humor added to it. It's a great family book because of the relationship between the grandfather and the grandchild. The illustrations are simple, yet fit the book well. The colors of the pictures help set the tone of the book. IT's a great read aloud for younger kids, and a fun twist to the original Goldielocks and the Three Bears.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has reversed sides, one is English and one is Spanish, using the same pictures for each translation. It is a spin-off of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, with a little bit of family intermingled. This also introduces a few Spanish words in the English side, including "Abuelo" and "Buenos Dias". The end of the English version also has a small glossary to define the few Spanish words on the English side.

[Presley]

This book gives some cultural flare to a classic tale- goldilocks and the three bears- except here you have Trencitas! this bilingual book is a great way to incorporate Spanish and English speaking children into a lesson; as well as shed light on a new culture for some or show representation for others. With the little girl eating their Frijoles instead of porridge etc. The book revolves around themes of family and cultural customs through a classic tale.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This bilingual book is in English on one side and then flip over and it's in Spanish. Throughout the English version the author also uses some common Spanish words that are explained through the story and there is also a small glossary at the end. As the grandfather tells the story it is not the traditional story of Goldilocks, but has a similar story.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this bilingual book. The English version does a good job of weaving some basic Spanish words I to the story and quickly explaining them in context. Great way to support the vocabulary acquisition through the use of a familiar story!

Perfect for ESL students and 1st-2nd graders who are reading fairy tales.

[Kinsley Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a fun spin on the classic book about goldilocks. This book has some Spanish cultural influence and can be read in both Spanish and English, and It's a great way to introduce kids to culture at a young age.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite children's books! It is all about my husband's family!

[Cleo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another pleasant bilingual book. Nothing remarkable, but good.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute rendition of Goldilocks and The Three Bears told from a completely different perspective! Teaches students some Spanish, too!