Papa Bear's Page Fright

PreS-Gr 1—The traditional story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" goes awry when Papa Bear notices that he has an external audience of readers hanging on his every word. His realization makes him botch his line and say " Let's all go for a woods through the walk." In a panic, he completely breaks the fourth wall (and Goldilocks's story), escapes from his book, and runs through several other stories, pursued by Baby Bear and Goldilocks. Only the familiar smell of porridge wafting from the bears' cottage brings him back. With some reassurance, Papa Bear finally delivers his line but Goldilocks's tale will not be the same again. Fraser's cheerful illustrations will make readers giggle but root for the comically bumbling Papa Bear and the long-suffering Goldilocks. Colorful speech balloons distinguish the characters' dialogue from that of the narrator.