#683 of 1001 · June 14, 2022

Here is a peek at a lovely version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Jim Aylesworth and @barbaramcclintockart. The book opens from the perspective of Goldilocks, who skips through the woods to the bears’ quaint stone house covered in ivy. Aylesworth presents a sweet and gentle retelling, while McClintock provides warm-toned art in watercolor, sepia ink, and gouache. Close examination of the opening illustration reveals the young girl to be reading Aylesworth and McClintock’s adaptation of The Gingerbread Man. A note for folklore enthusiasts: In the book’s front matter, Aylesworth cites Robert Southey’s 1837 publication of the tale. In Southey’s text, the bears are described as a Little, Small, Wee Bear, a Middle-sized Bear, and a Great, Huge Bear. Aylesworth, like many modern authors, assigns them family roles, depicting the smallest as a child, the middle as a mother, and the largest as a father. Readers may also be surprised to learn that one of Aylewsorth’s title characters fails to appear in the source material: Goldilocks herself. Southey’s interloper is an old woman. Only in subsequent literary renditions of the story was the character replaced with a young girl, whose name was first given as Silver-Hair, then Golden Hair, then Goldenlocks, and finally the enduringly familiar Goldilocks. #three #bears #bear #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcover #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookillustrations #picturebookart #classicchildrensbooks #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks