Goldilocks and the Wolf. (Tadpoles Fairytale Jumbles). Hilary Robinson. Illustrated by Simona Sanfilippo. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2013. 32 pp., pbk. & hc., $8.95 (pbk.), $19.36 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-8034-2 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-8023-6 (RLB.). Preschool-grade 2 / Ages 3-7. Review by Kate Hachborn. * /4

excerpt:

Goldilocks ran from the Three Bears’ house, down into Bluebell Wood.
She stopped to rest beside a stream and saw Little Red Riding Hood.
Goldilocks told her the story of the bears she had met that day…
Of how she had tried their porridge…and why she had run away.

Goldilocks and the Wolf combines two fairy tales already in progress. As Goldilocks runs away from the Three Bears’ house, she finds Red Riding Hood on her way to Granny’s house with some goodies. The Big Bad Wolf is lurking close by, and the girls flee together.

     While the concept of a fairy-tale mash up is interesting, it necessitates that the reader have prior knowledge of each fairy tale contained in the story. The challenge in this case is that the “Tadpoles Fairytale Jumbles” series caters to new readers who may not be familiar with the original versions of these fairy tales. Robinson begins to follow the pattern of Little Red Riding Hood by noticing body parts of the Big Bad Wolf as he chases the girls, but this pattern is quickly dropped. The text is presented in rhyme, but the rhythm of the story does not emphasize this fact, and the rhyming seems awkward.

     The full-colour illustrations are cute, but one illustration confuses the message of the plot. The wolf begins to cry that he is lonely and no one will play with him. The girls take pity and show compassion to the wolf who asks to play hide and seek, but the illustration shows the wolf chasing the girls with a toothy, sinister grin. The wolf’s reform comes into question when paired with the illustration.

     While older readers might find humour in the mixed message, this book has been packaged for readers that are too young to connect the confusing dots.

Not recommended.

Kate Hachborn is a library technician at the W. Ross Macdonald School in Brantford, ON.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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