Tonight my daughter selected the traditional take on the story ofThe Three Bears for her bedtime read, and I wished instead that we still had Goldie and the Three Bears checked out from the library. Not only does Goldie have curly hair like Annabel, she also doesn't like it when her swing is pushed too high, or when her bath water is too cold. She likes things just right according to her own particular likes and dislikes, which is something that holds true for just about everyone on the face of the planet but is especially pronounced in children, I think. No crusts, no peanut chunks in her peanut butter, and a sandwich cut on the diagonal-that is certainly something that my daughter and I can both identify with from our respective roles. As can so many other parents and children, I'm sure.
Another likable aspect of this modern retelling is that the story does not end with "and she ran away and never again entered the woods." That sort of "lesson" or mentality is not something I wish to instill in my not quite 3 year old. While it's wise to be wary of strangers, I'm much more keen on Diane Stanley's version which has Goldie befriend the wee bear in the end. She just so happens to have tastes that run similar to Goldie's, and they become playmates and good friends, fur and all.
The pictures in the book are sweet and fresh. This adaptation is a welcome new take on the old, stale classic. Diane Stanley trims all of the fear and "oh dear"'s from her tale and embellishes the bare bones of the tale with revelatory PBJ, understanding, and friendship. Five stars for sure.
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