Author(s): James Marshall

Childrens

Some picture books are much too hard. Some picture books are much too soft. But James Marshall's Goldilocks is just right. This is Goldilocks as you've never seen her before! She is very definitely NOT sweet and innocent - oh no. She is one of those naughty, haughty little girls who do exactly as they please, when they please. On her way to buy some muffins, Goldilocks ignores her mother's instructions and takes a shortcut through the forest...There, she discovers the three bears' house and saunters right in without even bothering to knock! Chaos ensues - chairs are broken to smithereens, porridge is spilled everywhere and tidy beds are disturbed! When the three brown bears return from their very pleasant bike ride (they were letting the porridge cool down), they can't believe the scenes of destruction that lie before them. They are NOT amused. Not one bit. James Marshall, with his deft picture book touch and trademark irreverence, breathes life and humour into this classic tale. The laugh-out-loud pictures and words are bound to have little children, and parents, clamouring for repeats! In 2007, the American Library Association posthumously honored James Marshall with the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal for a "substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children". Marshall's title, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1989. Of his work, The New York Times said: "The miracle of Mr Marshall's work is that so often his stories are as profound as they are simple."