The Three Bears

I bought the folktale classic by Paul Galdone. It is just right! Not detailed. Not too long, perfect for preschoolers.

I like this book because my mother and father used to read it to me. And it seems to me like its a fairytale. I love fairytales. I like this book because its about how you cant just walk into someones house like its your home. You have to be polite and have manners and thought taught me a lot. Alyssa Seifferly

I've sorta come around to Paul Galdone. I dunno. Maybe he's just worn me down over the years. When I first read Galdone's work I was shocked at the sloppiness and the grotesqueness of it all. His "Little Red Riding Hood" did nothing for me and his "The Monkey and the Crocodile" makes me shudder to this day. Even "Henny Penny" fared badly under his pen. I labeled myself a Galdone-hater and left it at that. Then I read his "Cat Goes Fiddle-I-Fee" and it all began to slowly change. If nothing else, Galdone does cats really well. So "Puss In Boots" fares well and his "Cinderella"... well, let's just say that I've seen worse. The real test, in the end, became "The Three Bears". If Galdone could show me a convincing version of the Goldilocks tale, I was willing to concede that perhaps he wasn't the hack I'd always made him out to be. And as luck would have it, the book isn't as bad as I had feared. Certainly the previous reviewer who used the word "garish" was on the right track. But in this book Galdone has figured out exactly what children want out of their fairy tales, and he knows how to give it to them. This isn't a picture book that's about pleasing grown-ups with its urbane wit. It's about pleasing kids with its language, great story, and bright easy-to-follow pictures. I'm not going to bother summing up the story for you. If you know the basics then you know what to find in this book. The bears are interesting partly because they're not called "Mama" or "Papa" but instead are labeled as "Middle-Sized" and "Great Big". Far be it from me to suggest how to read this title, but if you know a gay couple with a single child, this is an ideal purchase for them. Goldilocks, for her part, is truly frightening. Kids won't be scared of her. I was. There's something about that first image of her when you meet her on page ten. Her eyes are a little bit glazed. Her missing tooth (I had to inspect my copy just to make sure it wasn't missing due to some skillful kid's pen) may be intended to make her appear innocent. She ends up instead looking half-deranged. I liked that. From there on in, Goldilocks swings between cartoonish buffoonery and innocent glee. Dressed in a blue dress not all that dissimilar from Wonderland's Alice, this adventurer wreaks havoc without a care in the world. Her comeuppance is a bit dark as well. After seeing her bearish hosts, the girl escapes out the window and the book states (ominously), "No one knows what happened to Goldilocks after that". No one? Woah. Obvious pairings with this title, if you feel like having a Three Bears storytime, would include that wonderful read-aloud, "Dusty Locks and the Three Bears" by Susan Lowell or maybe the lovely "Goldie and the Three Bears" by the accomplished Diane Stanley. Whatever you choose to pair with this puppy, you can rest safe in the assurance that whatsoever you choose, this is the perfect starting place. A classic edition of a folktale staple.

This book passed the toughest test our household has to offer---my two sons asked for it to be read several times in one day. The pictures are vivid and clear and the story is told without fancy added details---just the facts of the fairy tale! I must admit I didn't find it that overly gripping, but I think that's because this isn't the most fascinating of fairy tales---but something about it appeals to kids---the bears? The 3 sizes of everything? Who knows? Whatever it is, it's a hit with my boys!

I find Paul Galdone's illustrations a bit garish but my son clearly prefers this style over more subtle ones - like Margot Zemach or Jan Brett. I had to really look for a traditional version with the emphasis on the extremes, too hot, too cold, just right - so many modern versions drop this original prose. This had exactly what I was looking for.