Goldie Locks Has Chicken Pox

by Erin Dealey, Hanako Wakiyama (Illustrator)

Goldie Locks has
chicken pox;
from head to toe
were polka dots....
When Goldie Locks spies her first spot, her mother knows it must be chicken pox. Soon after, a steady stream of storybook favorites -- including the Three Bears and Little Bo Peep -- stop by to wish Goldie Locks a speedy recovery. But how will Goldie get well when her little brother just won't stop teasing her?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Family, Fiction, Storytime, Health

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

I write in many genres, from board books to YA. I am thrilled to announce SQUIRREL DRAWS BIG FEELINGS (Illus. Luciana Navarro Powell / Beaming Books coming in April 2026.

Other bookes include:
JUST FLOWERS (Illus. Kate Cosgrove / Sleeping Bear / 2024) A 2025 Junior Master Gardeners' Growing Good Kids award recipient.

The HALF BIRTHDAY BOOK (Illus. Germán Blanco / Genius Cat Books / April 2023 )

CHRISTMAS AHOY! (Illus. Kayla Stark / Sleeping Bear Press / July 2023)

DEAR EARTH...From Your Friends in Room 5 (Illus. by Luisa Uribe / Harper Collins) . #ClimateAction *In Paperback Feb. 2023

PETER EASTER FROG (Illus. by G. Brian Karas /Caitlyn Dlouhy books/ Atheneum/S&S)

SNOWGLOBE WISHES (Illus. by Claire Shorrock / Sleeping Bear Press) got a shiny KIRKUS starred review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re... “The feelings of community and togetherness are palpable.” ❄️

GRANDMA'S FAVORITE; and GRANDPA'S FAVORITE (Kane Miller/ illus. by Luciana Navarro Powell), now available from Kane Miller via the Usborne Books and More web site will be released to Indies and B&N this year--and there are Spanish editions as well!

K IS FOR KINDERGARTEN (Sleeping Bear Press; illus. by Joseph Cowman) is perfect for current kinders and teachers AND those who need something to DO while waiting for Kindergarten to start.

BABIES COME FROM AIRPORTS (Kane Miller/ illus. by Luciana Navarro Powell--And spoiler alert: NO, they don't. See p. 2.) is a kid's-eye view of international adoption--from the paper work, researching heritage, and ALL the waiting, to that first hello.

DECK THE WALLS (Sleeping Bear/ Illus. by Nick Ward) is about the kids' table at a holiday dinner --and a fun sing-along for school celebrations.

My picture books with Atheneum/S&S, GOLDIE LOCKS HAS CHICKEN POX, and LITTLE BO PEEP CAN’T GET TO SLEEP have taken me to school visits as far south as Brazil and as far north as Tok, Alaska.

I'm a Language Arts/ theater teacher with decades of classroom experience and head the theater department of Sugarloaf Fine Arts Camp. My plays for young adults are published through Uproar Theatrics. As a member of the Area3WP, I taught writing workshops for teachers and students of all ages. If you're wondering why I look familiar, I'm the former RA for SCBWI CA North/Central, and have presented at SCBWI, reading associations, school library associations, and the PK1 Conference.
If you’re still reading this (thanks!), you can find my full bio and Writer’s Rap at https://erindealey.com/ and on Bluesky, X, Insta, FB, LinkedIn, and Pinterest: @ErinDealey.

Reviews

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh man, I was really enjoying this book. It's a fun, clever idea and I was appreciating the nods to children's nursery rhymes and picture book characters. But then there's this little sibling rivalry thrown in and it brought it down a notch for me. I like it best when children's books show sibling camaraderie.

Ages: 4 - 8

Cleanliness: You see Goldie from behind in only underwear. Goldie's brother teases her about having chicken pox.

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Wakiyama's illustrations in The Best Pet of All and found this book after I searched for more of her work in my library. The cover illustration is certainly adorable and has the same retro look that I loved in "Best Pet" but overall I wasn't quite as fond of the illustrations in "Goldie Locks"--a few of the expressions just didn't seem as winsome and I was perplexed at the placement of the barrettes in Goldie's hair (I thought they looked a bit like devil horns, though that didn't make any sense in context with the story!) The story itself is cute, but a bit jumbled as many fairytale characters make appearances to discuss Goldie Lock's chicken pox. It was a cute idea, but it just didn't quite work for me; the Locks family seems very normal and so I wasn't sure if they were supposed to be living in a fairytale world, or if all of it was in Goldie's imagination. The ending also seemed a bit abrupt and wasn't quite to my liking. Still, it is a fun way to address the chicken pox and might be helpful for children suffering with that malady.

[Nicole Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh no Goldie has chicken pox! Where did she get them? Very cute story and lots of fairytale/mothergoose character references within the book. Little Red stops to see if Goldie can play. Illustrations are cute and very retro.

[myKCmom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes as a girl, and I loved them even more when I discovered as a grad student (studying Cognitive Development) the benefits of rhyme and the important role rhymes play in reading fundamentals! In fact my daughter's room was completely done in Mother Goose thanks to Mary Engelbreit and some great nostalgic pieces I found... So I cannot even begin to describe my enthusiasm when I stumbled upon this book, but so often we find something we think will be amazing only to find it is a complete disappointment. Imagine my delight when this book exceeded my every expectation! It's a must read for any family, who is getting, searching to get, or has had the chicken pox! I like it so much I think I'll have to buy copies for all my friends, because I can't imagine parting with it! I could go on and on, but I'll conclude by saying this one definitely gets 5 stars in our home!

[TinaNoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read this book to my son and I think I enjoyed it more than he did.

The story in cute, told in an easy rhyme with many references to other fairy-tale/Mother Goose-ish characters. However what did it for me are the illustrations.

The look and feel are very retro fifties with a dash of wit. While Little Red (just Little Red, no Riding hood, thank you very much) comes skipping by to ask "Can Goldie come to Gran's with me?/I sure would like the company." We see the Bid Bad peeking cheekily through the window.

There are many other clever little visual cues. My husband even remarked on the great art.

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several nursery rhyme/fairy tale characters make cameos in this story of a little girl plagued not only by chicken pox, but her pesky little brother as well. The illustrations are a most striking element. They have a very 1950's everything is wonderful in Donna Reed's kitchen feel, with Goldie, last name: Locks, seemingly inspired by the Coppertone girl.

This book is a great conversation piece to get kids talking, recalling their own experience with chicken pox or just to point out all of the characters from other stories & nursery rhymes that make cameos.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Goldie Locks. She has chicken pox.

We rhyme our way through the large cast of Mother Goose figures and one annoying baby brother (who, after being so annoying to his sister, including playing connect-the-dots on her face, eventually gets sick himself, a just desert if I ever saw one!)

Cute, retro illustrations and nice rhymes. I'm not as thrilled with the book as my nieces are, but they like it enough to justify giving it the fourth star.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming author who is just as lively in person. A fun book!

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute as can be! I love it, Red Riding Hood and Bo Peep wanted Goldie to come out and play and she could not. Then her brother was a pest! Need to read this one!

[Kfooshee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book with awesome retro illustrations!

[Kaylee Mouser]

This book is about a girl who got chicken pox. The book rhymes, which I like. Kids would also definitely like this. It shows the process of getting chicken pox and how long they last. The pictures are also very cool. There are many patterns in the illustrations, even multiple on one page. This makes it look busy, but because all of the illustrations have a white background it evens it out. The emotions are also very visible in these pictures. I love great facial expressions when it comes to illustrations. The vocabulary in this book would also be good for kids. it was a very short book so the plot wasn't to complex.

[Emma York]

I love this story because it shows a cute brother, sister rivalry. It is realistic that sometimes even if you have something going on with you, somehow siblings can always find a way to irritate you even more. I like this story because it rhymes and has a cute story of all the different interactions between the characters. I recommend this picture book as a read aloud to a classroom. Also, I remember in elementary school students getting the chicken pox so informing them about it through a story would be a good way to help keep students calm if an outbreak does happen.

[Zanna McMurtrey]

I’m a fan of all the fairytale cameos in this book it’s like Hoodwinked or Shrek 2 with an obsolete virus. I bet this was a very popular book when children got chicken pox more often before the reliable vaccine. They even had doctor De Soto, even though I’m not sure Dr. De Soto was written before or after this. That makes me wonder about whether a mouse doctor has been a concept for longer than I think it has. The art style was really cute too, it reminds me of pictures grandma’s would hang in their bathrooms.

[Marissa Ragsdale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary
Here we have Goldie Locks, after her encounter with some bears. It turns out she has the chicken pox. She gets a few familiar visitors and is continuously annoyed by her little brother.

Evaluation
I enjoy this story! I had never heard of this tale and I liked that is was completely different from the original story.

Teaching point
This is a great story to use for making predictions. I also think the students would enjoy seeing other characters they recognize.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise didn't really pan out, as the different storybook characters just seemed shoehorned in. I'm also not a big fan of the "Dick and Jane" illustration style, which showed absolutely zero diversity, even though there was opportunity in the other human characters Bo Peep and Red Riding Hood. The gender stereotypes were strong, too, including a Mama Bear who wore high heels while doing her ironing. Ugh.

[DeCarla Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fiction, fairy tales, fantasy, and also poetry. This book would be good for grade levels k-2nd grade. This is a fun book that incorporates many different fairy tale creatures with the main one being Goldie Locks. This book would be a good way to get kids to understand how to deal with different sicknesses. Its a very fun short read that I think children would really enjoy.

[Avery Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Modern Fantasy
Grades: PreK-2
This book has a very cool component of including other famous storybook characters that young students would know. I like that having other famous storybook characters in this book will provide engagement for the students! Overall, I thought this book was super cute as it showcased friends caring for one another and siblings treating each other as siblings.

[Cassidy Ringle]

There is a lot of rhyming in this book but I don't think many children are super interested in chicken pocks, they might think the story is funny though. I might include this in my library but wouldn't be a must have.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goldilocks gets the chicken pox. Her mother calls the three bears to see if she got them from baby Bear, but bears don't get chicken pox. Her little brother makes fun of her, but eventually she gets the last laugh. This book was okay.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute book. I loved it as a kid

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of ties into other fairy tales for kids to notice :)

[McKendra Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute little story about chickenpox with fairytale characters.

[Christi Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute fast read to start our summer reading program.

[Taylor Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute story with rhyme schemes and fairy tale characters. It is very expressive and has a cute ending with the moral being be careful what you wish for.

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another one that didn't go over well. Subject matter, the way the illustrations were done, and the teasing done by the brother got the thumbs down in my household.

[Rainbow Room TOL]

2 copies

[Zazie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I correctly guessed what would happen in the end and I thought that was funny. This wasn't a bad book. I'm sure little kids would enjoy it.

[The Transmuted Tree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red 6th

[Little Seesaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so fabulous with the retro illustrations. I loved reading it.

[SB · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book! I really enjoy books that have twist on traditional fairy tales.