American author/illustrator Lorinda Bryan Cauley retells the classic English fairytale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears in this charming picture book from 1981. As Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear go on a walk while their porridge cools, an inquisitive little girl with golden curls and a talent for trouble happens upon their house in the woods and helps herself to their meal, their chairs and even their beds...

Goldilocks and the Three Bears is the third book I have read from Cauley, following upon her The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse and The Cock, the Mouse and the Little Red Hen, and I think it is my favorite of the three. The narrative here is faithful to the traditional tale, and therefore holds no surprises. That said, it reads well and is engaging, and when paired with the expressive artwork, is a pleasure to peruse. I really enjoyed the visuals here, with the decorative borders around each page or two-page spread, the charmingly anthropomorphic ursine family, and Goldilocks herself, whose many expressions are vividly captured by Cauley. Although not the best retelling of this tale I have ever encountered—an honor belonging to the version created by Jim Aylesworth and Barbara McClintock—it is nevertheless very appealing. Recommended to young fairytale fans, and to anyone looking for an entertaining, well-illustrated presentation of this specific story. ( )

I personally did not love this retelling of the classic traditional literature book. I love the story of Goldilocks and the three bears but I found this book to be dull. I wished the book used brighter colors in its illustrations to enhance the reading experience but instead it did the opposite for me. The illustrator did do a great job at drawing the characters and mimicking their emotions accurately. The author structures the book in an inconsistent amount of words on each page. For example, one page will have three sentences and the next page will be a whole paragraph. The moral of the story is to not enter places that you do not know and not stealing/breaking other peoples things. I personally would not recommend this book to anyone. I love the story itself but I would find a book that retells a more modern version of the story to help engage the readers more. ( )