Goldenlocks and the Three Pirates

September 11, 2017
Prince (What Do Wheels Do All Day?) cleverly recasts the three bears as swashbuckling pirates in this alliterative twist on Goldilocks. A “pilfering Papa pirate,” “menacing Mama pirate,” and “bonny Baby pirate-in-training” live on a “seaworthy sloop” in the harbor. When Mama’s attempt to make gruel leaves her cursing (“Flaming blazes!”), the trio sets off for shore. Enter Goldenlocks, a “lonesome lass” out for a row. She improves the gruel with a pinch of nutmeg and repairs Baby’s stool so that it’s “sturdy as a sea chest.” Many readers will know the outlines of this plot by heart, but Salerno (The Kid from Diamond Street) builds suspense with his sketches of the red-faced, scowling pirates as they bellow, stomp, and finally confront Goldenlocks, before recognizing how handy she is. Prince has a knack for pirate lingo, and she uses it to its utmost (the book includes a glossary). After hearing Papa cry, “Shiver me timbers, someone’s been eating me gruel,” readers may have trouble going back to the original story—pirates are just more fun than bears. Ages 4–7. Author’s agency: Studio Goodwin Sturges.

October 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 1- A raucous and nautical take on the classic "Goldilocks" story with an extravagant pirate family and a handy and competent heroine. Somewhere out at sea on a "seaworthy sloop" there were the three pirates-big, pilfering Papa pirate; medium-size, menacing Mama pirate; and small, bonny Baby pirate. While cunning with a cutlass, Mama pirate is a terrible cook, and one morning after burning the gruel the trio rows to shore and leaves their ship unattended. Goldenlocks happens along and climbs aboard, but instead of leaving the usual trail of destruction in her wake, she manages to remedy, repair, and mend all that she encounters. When the fierce pirate family returns, it is to a noticeably improved ship. They happily invite Goldenlocks to join their crew and together they set off on more adventures. The delightfully cheery and detailed full-bleed illustrations fill each page with color and excitement. Nautical lingo and a hearty sprinkling of "Piratese" add to the amusement of reading the story aloud and a handy "Pirate Glossary" in the back helps to alleviate any possible confusion. Even at their most fierce, the pirate family with their excessively angry expressions and excellent eyebrows are more fun than frightening and the spry Goldenlocks with her flowing tresses and practical pantaloons is a welcome change from the frilled and encumbered costumes of other fairy tale predecessors. VERDICT Equally delightful for preschool storytimes or one-on-one readings, this piratical permutation of "Goldilocks" is an enjoyable addition to most collections.- Laken Hottle, Providence Community Library

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2017
Who dares board a most worthy sea vessel when its inhabitants are out? Best be looking for the telltale golden hair. A piratical Mama, Papa, and Baby sail upon their sloop, a villain every one. Tired of hardtack, Mama attempts some good old-fashioned gruel, but she burns it (cooking's not really her forte, but she wields a mean cutlass). As they row ashore in their dinghy for fresh water and let the gruel cool off, a lonesome girl follows her nose to the cooling breakfast. Instead of just going through the familiar fairy-tale motions, Goldenlocks fixes up, improves, and generally makes everything better onboard. And when she's discovered, do the pirates offer her the plank? Nay, she's given a job as the newest recruit instead! Salerno fills the illustrations chock-full of delightful details, the wind-tousled figures, all evidently white, rendered in jewel tones. The pirates prove a comical foil to the ever savvy Goldenlocks. In upsetting the clumsy-housebreaker trope, the titular heroine is something of a jack-of-all-trades, making her a perfect complement to other STEM-girl heroines. Somewhat less forward-thinking is that it's Mama pirate who is the cook in the family while peg-legged Papa watches; some stereotypes don't die. Arr-guably the best pirate fairy tale to sail the seven storytimes. (glossary) (Picture book. 4-7)

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November 1, 2017
Preschool-G This clever mash-up has the basic structure of a Goldilocks tale, but here the heroine encounters a human pirate family rather than bears. It's the usual routine: Mama Pirate burns the breakfast gruel, and while it cools, the three row away from their seaworthy sloop in a dingy. Along comes handy, but lonesome Goldenlocks, who tries each bowl of gruel, stool, and hammock before falling asleep in Baby Pirate's hammock, which is where the pirate family finds her when they return. Unlike the traditional Goldilocks, usually a bit of a brat, Goldenlocks uses her skills to improve the nasty-tasting gruel and repair Baby Pirate's stool and hammock. The pirates are so taken with the improvements that, after some grumbling by Mama, they invite her to turn pirate. The text, with an abundance of alliteration, multiple voices, and ample pirate talk, is coupled with brightly colored cartoon illustrations, ideal for a rollicking good read-aloud. As Mama or Papa might say, Shiver me timbers! Aye, thar be room for another stinkin' fractured fairy tale! (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)