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Goldilocks and the Three Bears
"Bernadette Watt's version is a stylish and attractive one that blends the primitive and cute. Lots of bright primary colors and bold but not threatening characters balance the playfulness and whimsy".--Baltimore Sunday Sun .Full-color illustrations.
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First published January 1, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 24, 2025
If I were to consider only how Bernadette Watts has retold the classic British Kunstmärchen (composed fairy tale) of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, then yes, my rating would definitely be solidly four stars (but no, not yet five stars and indeed for specifically academic reasons which I will be showing and explaining anon). For in particular my inner child really does massively enjoy and hugely appreciate Watts' presented text for her 1985 picture book Goldilocks and the Three Bears and especially how for the Papa Bear's words the printed font is the largest, for the Mama Bear a bit smaller and for the Baby Bear of course the smallest as well as that Bernadette Watts' story for Goldilocks and the Three Bears is nicely simple and equally so does not make either Goldilocks or the three bears into misbehaving or horrid individuals, which certainly is a major textual bonus for particularly childhood me (and that in Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the bears being anthropomorphic and talking also does not at all bother me either). However and to be honest, having Goldilocks be a nasty and foolish little girl would in fact, would actually make a lot of sense considering the folkloric background of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, albeit and personally speaking, Goldilocks and the Three Bears picture books where Goldilocks is shown as negative, disobedient and kind of mean-spirited like for example is the case with James Marshall's Goldilocks and the Three Bears just do not appeal all that much to me, really do make my inner child cringe (and well, Bernadette Watts' Goldilocks and the Three Bears not showing Goldilocks like this is therefore verbally, is narrationally quite delightful and makes me broadly smile).
But considering that when Robert Southey originally penned his Goldilocks and the Three Bears in the 19th century, the three bears were bachelors (were not a standard family) and were driven out of their comfortable and cozy home by a slatternly, drunk and disorderly old woman with a vile potty mouth and an all-encompassing streak of mean-spiritedness, I do think that Bernadette Watts should be adding an author's note briefly detailing and explaining the folkloric background of Goldilocks and the Three Bears (and how there are three versions, with the original version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears telling of the above mentioned impudent old woman, the second version then replacing the old woman with a young, naive, blonde-haired girl named Goldilocks, and the third and by far best-known version replacing the bachelor bear trio with a family of three bears, with a father, mother and their child). And even though I do know (and also now grudgingly accept) that Watts never seems to add folkloric details and author's notes for her fairy tale retellings, yes, in particular regarding Goldilocks and the Three Bears with its oh so interesting interesting backstory, no author's note, no supplemental information for Goldilocks and the Three Bears does kind of become annoying (and in particular for me as an adult reader although I do have to admit that my inner child does not really care or even notice).
However and finally, albeit I (and as shown above) really like how Bernadette Watts' has penned Goldilocks and the Three Bears as a story, sorry, but my four stars for Watts' presented text will have to be lowered to three for Goldilocks and the Three Bears as a picture book since there is one aspect of her accompanying artwork both my inner child and also adult reading I really cannot aesthetically stand. For while we find how Goldilocks and the general landscape etc. are depicted by Bernadette Watts in Goldilocks and the Three Bears generally visually appealing and decently pleasant (although perhaps a bit two-dimensional and emotionally stiff at times), that the three bears are depicted as wearing clothing is hugely and all-encompassingly aesthetically horrible and aggravating. Because while both my inner child and I as an adult reader do not mind anthropomorphic animals in folk and fairy tales and have also thus not at all minded this for Goldilocks and the Three Bears on a textual, on a narrational level either (see above), we absolutely, we utterly do despise looking at illustrations of animals dressed like humans (and while Bernadette Watts does not write about the three bears in Goldilocks and the Three Bears as looking like humans, as being dressed like humans, that she illustrates them fully clothed is a huge aesthetic turn-off, is a visual no-no and that as such my rating for Goldilocks and the Three Bears will need to negatively reflect this).
But considering that when Robert Southey originally penned his Goldilocks and the Three Bears in the 19th century, the three bears were bachelors (were not a standard family) and were driven out of their comfortable and cozy home by a slatternly, drunk and disorderly old woman with a vile potty mouth and an all-encompassing streak of mean-spiritedness, I do think that Bernadette Watts should be adding an author's note briefly detailing and explaining the folkloric background of Goldilocks and the Three Bears (and how there are three versions, with the original version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears telling of the above mentioned impudent old woman, the second version then replacing the old woman with a young, naive, blonde-haired girl named Goldilocks, and the third and by far best-known version replacing the bachelor bear trio with a family of three bears, with a father, mother and their child). And even though I do know (and also now grudgingly accept) that Watts never seems to add folkloric details and author's notes for her fairy tale retellings, yes, in particular regarding Goldilocks and the Three Bears with its oh so interesting interesting backstory, no author's note, no supplemental information for Goldilocks and the Three Bears does kind of become annoying (and in particular for me as an adult reader although I do have to admit that my inner child does not really care or even notice).
However and finally, albeit I (and as shown above) really like how Bernadette Watts' has penned Goldilocks and the Three Bears as a story, sorry, but my four stars for Watts' presented text will have to be lowered to three for Goldilocks and the Three Bears as a picture book since there is one aspect of her accompanying artwork both my inner child and also adult reading I really cannot aesthetically stand. For while we find how Goldilocks and the general landscape etc. are depicted by Bernadette Watts in Goldilocks and the Three Bears generally visually appealing and decently pleasant (although perhaps a bit two-dimensional and emotionally stiff at times), that the three bears are depicted as wearing clothing is hugely and all-encompassingly aesthetically horrible and aggravating. Because while both my inner child and I as an adult reader do not mind anthropomorphic animals in folk and fairy tales and have also thus not at all minded this for Goldilocks and the Three Bears on a textual, on a narrational level either (see above), we absolutely, we utterly do despise looking at illustrations of animals dressed like humans (and while Bernadette Watts does not write about the three bears in Goldilocks and the Three Bears as looking like humans, as being dressed like humans, that she illustrates them fully clothed is a huge aesthetic turn-off, is a visual no-no and that as such my rating for Goldilocks and the Three Bears will need to negatively reflect this).
October 18, 2017
Goldilocks was hungry and tired. She found her way to a bear cottage and ate and slept in their beds. Will they catch her or will she get away?
October 18, 2017
I remember this folk tale I was told as a little kid.
April 10, 2013
The classic story of goldilocks. I always found this to be a cute book with a good story. The illustrations in this book are lovely. I didn't feel like you could really see the different between big and medium though which you normally can in this story.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews