Goldilocs

Goldilocs lives in Fairytale Land where girls tend to be princesses, witches or evil queens, unfortunately none of these roles really appeal to our young heroine. She decides that of these options being a witch may be the most fun. After finding a cauldron and trying some unsuccessful spell-mixing she decides to make her grandad’s cornmeal porridge which immediately summons three bears – this is Fairytale Land after all. Scenes from the familiar story follow and eventually, with the help of the three bears, Goldilocs experiences an epiphany realising that she can be whoever she wants to be, there is no need to conform to a set of rules.

This is an interesting take on the familiar tale with a dark skinned and dark-haired Goldilocks (or rather Goldilocs) in the title role – her name coming from her style, her beads and her golden smile. Although the rhyming text and empowering message are a little clumsy at times the illustrations are lively, colourful and fun. The inclusion of the recipe for Grandad Cecil’s cornmeal porridge at the back of the book is a nice touch.