School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-A raucous and nautical take on the classic "Goldilocks" story with an extravagant pirate family and a handy and competent heroine. Somewhere out at sea on a "seaworthy sloop" there were the three pirates-big, pilfering Papa pirate; medium-size, menacing Mama pirate; and small, bonny Baby pirate. While cunning with a cutlass, Mama pirate is a terrible cook, and one morning after burning the gruel the trio rows to shore and leaves their ship unattended. Goldenlocks happens along and climbs aboard, but instead of leaving the usual trail of destruction in her wake, she manages to remedy, repair, and mend all that she encounters. When the fierce pirate family returns, it is to a noticeably improved ship. They happily invite Goldenlocks to join their crew and together they set off on more adventures. The delightfully cheery and detailed full-bleed illustrations fill each page with color and excitement. Nautical lingo and a hearty sprinkling of "Piratese" add to the amusement of reading the story aloud and a handy "Pirate Glossary" in the back helps to alleviate any possible confusion. Even at their most fierce, the pirate family with their excessively angry expressions and excellent eyebrows are more fun than frightening and the spry Goldenlocks with her flowing tresses and practical pantaloons is a welcome change from the frilled and encumbered costumes of other fairy tale predecessors. VERDICT Equally delightful for preschool storytimes or one-on-one readings, this piratical permutation of "Goldilocks" is an enjoyable addition to most collections.-Laken Hottle, Providence Community Library © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Prince (What Do Wheels Do All Day?) cleverly recasts the three bears as swashbuckling pirates in this alliterative twist on Goldilocks. A "pilfering Papa pirate," "menacing Mama pirate," and "bonny Baby pirate-in-training" live on a "seaworthy sloop" in the harbor. When Mama's attempt to make gruel leaves her cursing ("Flaming blazes!"), the trio sets off for shore. Enter Goldenlocks, a "lonesome lass" out for a row. She improves the gruel with a pinch of nutmeg and repairs Baby's stool so that it's "sturdy as a sea chest." Many readers will know the outlines of this plot by heart, but Salerno (The Kid from Diamond Street) builds suspense with his sketches of the red-faced, scowling pirates as they bellow, stomp, and finally confront Goldenlocks, before recognizing how handy she is. Prince has a knack for pirate lingo, and she uses it to its utmost (the book includes a glossary). After hearing Papa cry, "Shiver me timbers, someone's been eating me gruel," readers may have trouble going back to the original story-pirates are just more fun than bears. Ages 4-7. Author's agency: Studio Goodwin Sturges. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
