Rolling Along With Goldilocks and the Three Bears

by Cindy Meyers, Carol Morgan (Illustrator)

This story unfolds with many of the familiar scenes of the classic tale, and ends on a hopeful note. Here, baby bear uses a wheelchair, goes to physical therapy, and ultimately makes friends with Goldilocks.

Genres: Picture Books, Fractured Fairy Tales, Childrens

28 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1999

About the author

Cindy Meyers is a Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA), who specializes in pediatrics and works with children with physical disabilities, including kids who use wheelchairs. She wrote this story as a way to explain to her own young children what it's like to have a disability, as well as to provide a supportive story for children she works with.

Reviews

[Lucy Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this many years ago for my son who is a wheelchair user. There weren’t any books representing characters with a disability so I had a search online and came across this one. It is a good twist on a classic tale. I like the way the house has been adapted with ramps etc. My son enjoyed seeing a character like him and he was finally able to relate to a story.

[Amanda Averill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rolling with Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Cindy Meyers is a fictitious text published in 1999 by Woodbine House. The text re-creates the well-known fairy tale and makes it relatable to children with disabilities by replacing Baby Bear with a disabled boy who uses a wheelchair. The story incorporates the same structure as the original fairy tell, but upon Goldilocks arrival at the Bears’ home, she explores the various adjustments that have been made for Baby Bear, including ramps in the house and a bed that moves up and down. Goldilocks befriends Baby Bear and the two share adventures together. This picture book is appropriate for children between the ages of five and eight. Younger children will appreciate the repetition and will be able to re-tell this simple story, building their knowledge of the structure of a story. Older children will be able to make text to self, and text to world connections through this piece of literature. The overall theme is about overcoming obstacles and will aid in developing empathy and giving children a powerful feeling, as if they too, can overcome obstacles.

This text is a Guided Reading level P, lexile Level 620, and grade level of k-3.

RL.2.3 Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
For the classroom activity, children may be asked how Baby Bear struggled, and what he did to overcome his challenges. The teacher may prompt students to write a paragraph or draw a picture to examine and explain a challenge they have faced, and how they handled it. These ideas may be shared among the class.

[Mary Ellen Fitzpatrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Special Education Needs is my specialism I thought it would be a good ideas to review a SEN book. ‘Rolling Along with Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ by Cindy Meyers was the most impressive one I could find to date. This book tells the well known fairy tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears but in this version Baby Bear is a young wheelchair user. I think it would be good to incorporate this book into any Key Stage 1 or 2 classes that have children with SEN. This book helps explain the concept of disability throughout the story. The book outlines the fact that Baby Bear must use a wheel chair ramp instead of steps and he visits the physiotherapist instead of going for a walk through the forest. “Once upon a time, there were three bears: a great big Papa Bear, a middle-sized Mama Bear, and a Baby Bear who used a wheel chair to get around. They loved in a forest in a house that had ramps instead of steps for Baby Bear.” This book would make other children in the class more aware of SEN children in a positive way and the special types of requirements they need in everyday life. I would recommend this book to children from Year 1 to Year 3.

[Dewayne Welch]

Rolling Along with Goldilocks and the Three Bears" by Cindy Meyers offers a refreshing and inclusive take on the classic fairy tale. As I delved into the pages, I was deeply moved by the seamless integration of disability representation, particularly through Goldilocks' character, who navigates the story using a wheelchair. Meyers skillfully weaves themes of diversity and acceptance into the narrative, providing an invaluable opportunity for readers to engage with disability awareness in a positive and empowering manner. Through this lens, I gained a newfound appreciation for the importance of inclusive literature in fostering empathy and understanding among children, while also highlighting the unique needs and experiences of individuals with disabilities.
Reading this book not only enriched my understanding of students' diverse needs but also underscored the significance of creating inclusive learning environments that cater to all learners. It prompted me to reflect on the various challenges individuals with disabilities may encounter and the importance of providing accessible resources and support to ensure their full participation and inclusion. Given its powerful message and potential to spark meaningful discussions, I would enthusiastically share "Rolling Along with Goldilocks and the Three Bears" with classmates and children alike. It serves as a valuable tool for promoting empathy, celebrating diversity, and fostering a culture of inclusivity in both educational settings and society as a whole. Storytime included a skit on the book performed by the class.

[Luda Gogolushko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was curious how this book would play off the original Goldilocks and the Three Bears tale. It matched the expected story of a girl going into a bear’s house, breaking Baby Bear’s chair, eating his porridge, and sleeping in his bed. The twist though was explaining to readers, which was written to educate non-disabled kids about disability, about Baby Bear’s life as a bear in a wheelchair. It talked about a sliding board, a special bed, and going to physical therapy. This concept was pretty well laid out, but I would have liked to see the focus more of the friendship of Goldilocks and Baby Bear instead of explaining to her about his disability and equipment (although, most kids would be curious about this). I also was hoping the Bear family would go on a walk to collect pine cones instead of going to physical therapy because this message of Baby Bear in the wheelchair highly focuses on him through a medical lens, which was borderline upsetting to me because I try to get away from people seeing me through that lens. However, the language didn’t devalue Baby Bear and I think this would be a fun read for non-disabled children curious about someone in a wheelchair.

[Alison Leach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorites! Of course most children already know the story about Goldilocks and the Three Bears, only this time the baby bear is in the wheelchair. This story just puts its own spin on how family structure are the same, but may have different disabilities. This story also shows that just because the bear has a disability and he uses different resources in the book like ramps, etc.. does not mean that the story changes. It goes to show students that just because of a disability does not mean that the story or the way of life ever has to change.

[Anne Lutomia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inclusive book that tweaks the known tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Here Cindy Myers a Physical Therapist writes about the family of three bears, Papa, Mama, and Baby Bear. Baby Bear is disabled and in a wheelchair. Cindy, demonstrates the needs and accommodations a child with physical disability might have. In closing, Cindy writes of everlasting friendship between Goldilock and the Baby Bear.

[Abigail Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This edition of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" shows baby bear as an individual with a disability. The book goes through explaining all the different modifications that baby bear has for his chair, bed, and house that help him to get around. The book goes to show other animals in the woods who have other disabilities, all the disabilities seem to be physical. At the end Goldilocks and baby bear become friends for life.
A great book for introducing and individual with a disability into the classroom, or for students to better understand a classmate who has a wheel chair.

No Awards
Ages 4-8 years

[Laura Aleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The addition of one of the bears in a wheelchair does so many things to represent different students

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inclusive for students in wheelchairs

[Molly Fefolt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rolling Along with Goldilocks and the Three Bears is written by Cindy Myers and illustrated by Carol Morgan. The book opens with information about a family of three bears, Papa, Mama, and Baby Bear, the last of whom is disabled and in a wheelchair. The reader is taken through a day in the life of the bear family, shown the accomodations Baby Bear needs to get around in the house, and walks along with the family as they play outside, make porridge, and go to physical therapy. While the family is at physical therapy, Goldilocks comes along in the traditional way, and eats porridge, breaks chairs, and falls asleep in Baby Bear's bed. The family comes home to discover Goldilocks still sleeping, but Baby Bear is understanding and reaches out to Goldilocks in friendship, opening up about his disability, and leading to a heartwarming ending.

The book is an excellent example of a critical issue in children's literature, which is the issue of disability exclusion. Typically, in the re-telling of a fairytale one imagines perhaps a new ending or a modernized version, but rarely does one think of adding a disability to one of the primary characters. The inclusion of the wheelchair does not change the overall plot of the story, but it does give an opportunity for the reader to learn about disabilities, and the accomodations needed to aid those in wheelchairs. The illustrations do a good job with making the accomodations natural and realistic, but not distracting or out of place. The author also does an excellent job pointing out that people with disabilities do not always need assistance. For example, after making friends with Goldilocks, it is pointed out that Baby Bear sometimes accepts her offers to push his wheelchair, and sometimes he refuses. This is important, because oftentimes children are taught to accept those with disabilities, but it is not stressed enough that acceptance does not mean one should baby a person with disabilities. Overall, the book is a nice blend of the traditional story with a modern issue, simultaneously entertaining, educating, and representing a group that is largely forgotten in children's and other literature.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears where baby bear is in a wheel chair and goes to physical therapy.

[Alexandria Hiam · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears where baby bear is in a wheel chair and goes to physical therapy.

[Characters With Disabilities]

motor

[Yelim Kwon]

1) Awards: no awards
2) Appropriate grade levels age 4-7
3) Original 3-line summary
There were daddy, mommy, and baby bear living in a house. Baby bear went out one day with daddy and mommy bears because he needed therapy with his legs. While they were out, a girl came into their house and made a mess. Bears came back and they saw the girls. At the end baby bear and a girl became a good friend.
4) Original 3-line review
I liked this book because it contains theme of diversity. I liked when baby bear and a girl get along well even though they are different.
5) 2-3 possible in-class uses
Lessons about diversity, lessons about friendship