Maria Modugno

This is by far my favorite Christmas book. It is just like Goldilocks and the three bears, except it uses Santa. In the book the bears have everything decorated for Christmas and they sit down to eat. The Christmas Pudding is too hot so they go for a walk. While on the walk, Santa delivers their presents. He comes up on their Christmas Pudding and decides that he wants to eat it. Once the bears get back they notice that all of their Christmas Pudding is gone. Will they find Santa?

OK, right at the beginning, on the title page - I want the Mama Bear's chair. And then we're introduced to the bears, and Yay, they're not wearing shirts but no pants, in fact they're only wearing hats (except Baby has a scarf) to go for their walk.

The rest of the story is workmanlike. You can tell it yourself just from your imagination - the author didn't really come up with a great twist. The pictures are pretty, but they don't carry the book up to a three star rating, sorry.

Do exercise show more your imagination and tell your version to your kids. Exercise *their* imaginations: have them tell "The Tooth Fairy and the Three Bears" or "Snow White and the Seven Gorillas" or some other mashup that they think is funny. show less

This review also published at The Children's Book and Media Review run by Brigham Young University.

On Christmas Eve, Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear are busy getting ready for the holiday the next day. They decorate the house and make Christmas pudding, but when they sit down to eat the pudding is much too hot. They go on a walk to see the Christmas lights while their pudding cools. While they are gone, Santa Claus comes to their house. He tries the pudding, but only one is just right, show more and only one of the chairs is just right too. When the bears come back and discover that someone is in their house, they get to meet Santa and receive their presents.

This story is a simple retelling of the classic story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears with the additions of the bears being polar bears and Santa as Goldilocks. While adult readers might be bothered that Santa doesn’t replace what he’s broken until next year and doesn’t apologize for eating their food and breaking their belongings, younger readers will likely be too excited about the ending with talking to Santa to care. The illustrations are charming, and many adults and children will like this seasonal version of an old classic. show less

Young Reader Reaction: Our young reader liked the originality of the story. She liked to compare the parts she "knew" from Goldilocks and the Three Bears and compare them to this one. She fell in love with Baby Bear right away and laughed about him being "in the way."

Adult Reader Reaction: This is a sweet, adorable story, and one I would definitely consider adding to our personal holiday book library. The author not only does a great job of weaving in Christmas, but giving the story fresh show more ideas and twists. I like the suspense at the end when you don't know what gifts Santa left for the bears.

Pros: Young readers will love this seasonal re-telling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The illustrations are beautiful and the story is playful.

To read our full review, go to The Reading Tub®. show less