Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In this sly sendup, Goldilocks (who could be a cousin of Knuffle Bunny-s Trixie) ventures into the home of three diabolical dinosaurs. Having cooked up three bowls of chocolate pudding and

Kirkus Reviews

A hilariously fractured fairy tale. The structure's well-known, so the endpapers list myriad permutations, almost all crossed out: Goldilocks and the Three Clams? Three Ostriches? Three Glasses of Milk? Nope, it's Dinosaurs: Papa, Mama and one Dinosaur "who happened to be visiting from Norway." Details are tasty--chocolate pudding instead of porridge; a different furniture riff ("The first chair was too tall. The second chair was too tall. But the third chair-- [page turn] --WAS TOO TALL"). Even funnier are the obviously fraudulent protestations. Child-friendly irony lets readers giggle knowingly as Mama Dinosaur muses, "I SURE HOPE NO INNOCENT LITTLE SUCCULENT CHILD HAPPENS BY OUR UNLOCKED HOME WHILE WE ARE…uhhh…SOMEPLACE ELSE!" They're "definitely not hiding in the woods waiting for an unsuspecting kid"; pudding sits unattended to enable the creation of "delicious chocolate-filled-little-girl-bonbons (which, by the way, are totally not the favorite things in the whole world for hungry Dinosaurs)." Winking, the text places readers gleefully in the know--and Goldilocks is no patsy either. Willems' trademark cartoon-style illustrations include sly eyebrows, sardonic glances and a fabulous picture of Goldilocks inside a pudding bowl. When she's beyond satiated, her pupils dilate--enormous, then tiny--subtly nodding to the old tale's "too big, too small" theme. Top-notch for group storytime, for a project on revising classics or just for enjoyment; funniest for kids who know the original. (Fractured fairy tale. 5-9)

Starred Review ALA Booklist (Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2012)

Starred Review This is Willems' first attempt at retelling a classic fairy tale and, if the endpapers are any indication, he might have struggled a bit at first. Red marks through such options as "Goldilocks and the Three Clams" and "Goldilocks and the Three Orthodontists" eventually give way to the ideal trio: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur, and "some other Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway." After they randomly set up three beds, three chairs, and three bowls of chocolate pudding, the dinosaurs head out to "someplace else" and hope "that no innocent little succulent child happens by." Cue "poorly supervised" Goldilocks, who blithely barges in and helps herself to all the amenities awaiting her, until the pending danger finally dawns on her and she bolts, which causes the returning, hungry dinos to rue the fact they forgot to lock the backdoor. The book's masterful line art and muted color palette contain untold expressions, perspectives, and jokes, and the text dryly emanates irony, wit, and wonderful words like traipsing and groggy. Willems has delivered his very best work so far is is a tasty treat for kids already fluent with the original, and for any fan of funny, and everybody will want to read it again and again and again. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With three Caldecott Honor Books to his name us zillions of fans llems is children's book royalty.

Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Three calculating dinosaurs plan to lure Goldilocks into their home, then swoop in for a snack of "delicious chocolate-filled-little-girl-bonbons." But the over-eager dinosaurs give themselves away, allowing Goldilocks to hastily retreat. The meta elements fly fast and furious throughout this zany tale; humorous details and in-jokes abound. The characters' big, round eyes, hooded lids, and angled brows express a range of reactions.

School Library Journal Starred Review (Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2012)

PreS-Gr 3 This zany addition to the fractured-fairy-tale canon features a yellow-haired Goldilocks in a pink dress and three dinosaurs-Papa, Mama, and "some other Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway." Arising one morning, the dinosaurs cook their chocolate pudding "at varying temperatures" and intentionally leave the pudding bowls out to lure "a little succulent child" into their home. Goldilocks, being a heedless little girl who "never listened to warnings about the dangers of barging into strange, enormous houses," does just that and proceeds to stuff herself with the dinosaurs' bait-er, chocolate pudding. Tired and sleepy, she finds the bedroom but-uh, oh!-overhears the dinosaurs outside gloating, "Delicious chocolate-filled-little-girl-bonbons are yummier when they're asleep!" Suddenly realizing that she's in the wrong story, Goldilocks beats a hasty retreat just as the three dinosaurs return licking their lips-and happily finds her way into the right story with the three bears on the last page. This is pure Mo Willems, from the many visual gags in the cleanly drawn illustrations and the tight, tongue-in-cheek story line to the endpapers, decorated with dozens of hilarious crossed-out title possibilities. The book's generous trim size, varied illustrative perspectives, and dramatic text lend this title perfectly to a lively group read-aloud; pair it with a traditional version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears to discuss differences and similarities. Readers of all ages will find much to chuckle about in this wacky retelling.— Kathleen Finn, St. Francis Xavier School, Winooski, VT