The Three Bears ABC

by Grace Maccarone, Hollie Hibbert (Illustrations)

F is for Forest. While their porridge cooled, the bears walked in the forest, where they sniffed fragrant flowers. The classic tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears meets the alphabet in this fairy-tale-meets-concept-book story. Grace Maccarone cleverly alliterates Goldilocks' tale from A to Z.

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Animals, Folklore, Retellings, Fractured Fairy Tales

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Grace Maccarone is an American children’s book editor and author, notably of Miss Lina’s Ballerinas, illustrated by Christine Davenier, and its sequel Miss Lina’s Ballerinas and the Prince. She has also worked as an editor at Scholastic, Wireless Generation, and currently Holiday House.

Reviews

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goldilocks and the Three Bears with an extra element. I thought fitting the story in with the alphabet would feel contrived but I was wrong. A fun way to read it, especially because every kid knows the story already but many love the familiarity.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way too long for very young children but I unique take on the story

[Meg McGregor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The girls and I enjoyed this alphabet book!

SInce they both know the story of Goldilocks, they were hooked, from the beginning!

The illustrations are wonderful; to me, they are the stars of the book!

Being a former Language Arts teacher, I love alliteration; I really wish Ms. Maccarone had used more alliteration for each of the letters!

[Joella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun alphabet book that has a story. Similar to how Caveman A B.C. Story had a story presented through the alphabet…so does this. Although this particular story is a familiar fairy tale–Goldilocks and the Three Bears. It starts with “A” for the alphabet and then goes to the “B” bears and ends with (the second) “Z” which “is for zany…because it was that kind of day!” Kids who know the original Goldilocks story will laugh at the new alphabetical way the story is presented. Then there are the illustrations. Each alphabet letter looks like it has wood grain lines running through it, giving a complimentary feel to the “carved” letters while allowing them to all be different colors that pop off the page. And Goldilocks is just fun with wild yellow hair (that almost reminds me of the crazy-wild hair of a certain new red-headed princess from a cartoon…just less curly). When looking at the illustrations there are bits that are totally in focus such as the characters or significant parts to the story (the porridge, the chairs, the bed, etc.). However, the background of the illustrations have a soft, somewhat out-of-focus quality (the details on the forest trees aren’t crisp or the picture hanging on the cottage wall is out of focus) which makes the illustrations have the same feel as some professional photography will carefully picked frame of focus and soft focus background. Only this is with illustrations. And being a person who loves looking at some great photography…I kind of liked the way the illustrations were thought-through to the point that even the details or lack of details draws readers to particular points of a story.

All-in-all this is a fun story. I don’t know that it will help young readers drill the alphabet letters in their heads. But it will be something that kids who are learning or have just learned the alphabet can find joy in because they can figure out what is coming, especially if they happen to love folk and fairy tales. I like it. A lot.

[Margaret Chind · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute alphabet book telling the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The letters are woven in so well it almost seems as the original story were meant to be highlighted by letter. The illustrations are bright, fun and funny while Goldilocks appears a little odd to me as her hair is bigger than she is and her skin is definitely darker than any golden blonde I've ever seen but all in all it's vibrant and interesting to look at. This is a neat way to work on a fairy tale and the alphabet for early learners.

*Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.*

posted: http://creativemadnessmama.com/blog/2...

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears is retold in alphabet book style. Each letter is connected to the story in a way that makes sense and doesn’t required too much of a stretch. Most connections work well and the story works well enough. Nothing spectacular here, but if you want an ABC book to work into a fairytale unit, this will fit the bill. The cartoon illustrations are warm and colorful adding to the pleasant feel of the story. Suitable for Prekindergarten through First Grade. PLNNJ Rating - Acceptable

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fairly sophisticated ABC book built around the classic story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The author tells the story by using each of the letters within the context of the story--for instance, "B is for bears" (unpaged) and then moving through the story with added detail. The idea works nicely here, and the illustrations have an almost magical, misty appearance to them, even when Goldilocks leaps from a window to elude her furry pursuers and lands in a bush in a sprawled out X formation. The story is funny and true to the original version.

[Keli O'brien]

This book has an alphabet twist on the classic story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. With each letter, it brings out alliteration of that letter and emphasizes the sounds that it makes. The book is beautifully illustrated and since the story is familiar, children will have fun learning their alphabet.

Activity: The students could role play the story using the examples given by the book using the alphabet.

Maccarone, G., & Hibbert, H. (2013). The Three Bears ABC. New York, NY: Scholastic.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun idea! I love ABC books, and I hadn't seen this before. The author tells the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears in the format of an ABC. Bonus points for C. "C is for cool. The bears waited for their hot porridge to cool. So Papa put on his cap, Mama her cape, and Baby his coat." Negative points for the cop-out X. "X marks the exact spot where she landed." Q is okay- "Baby Bear asked this question: "Who ate my porridge?" All in all, this is a fun concept, but I don't quite love the finished project.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears with the alphabet woven throughout it. I was skeptical about this approach, but it really seemed to work well for this story.

Any alphabet story is judged on how well it incorporates the difficult letters (i.e. Q, U, V, X, Y, Z) and this book does quite well. This book would make a great read aloud for PreK-2 and the use of the letters adds a lot of humor to this fairytale classic.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful book to share with preschool children! This is the story of the 3 bears told with the alphabet in mind. Not only is it filled with fun vocabulary words but there is also a lot of alliteration emphasizing the sound of each alphabet letter. “H is for House. Goldilocks saw the happy house in the forest.” F is for a fantastic, fun family read. Great for ages 3-7.

[Cat Fithian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun re-telling. I'd have liked more emphasis in the text on each featured letter "pappa bear put on his Cap" should highlight the C, etc. Would be fun to use as a jumping off point for kids, getting them to use the alphabet to tell other familiar stories.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the concept of this book and it's useful for making text-to-text connections. However, there was a disconnect between some of the letters and word concepts and the illustrations reminded me of Disney.

[Dianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This re-telling of The Three Bears in ABC format was very cleverly done. The author fit everything in order perfectly, and I enjoyed seeing how she did it.

I didn't love the style of the illustrations. I have no idea how they were created, but to me they looked digital and a little out of focus.

[Sharie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love fairy tales. And the fairy tale of the Goldilocks is told through the alphabet! Kids could read this and then do the same abc thing with another fairy tale. OK reading and a great writing exercise to mimic.

[Roscoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very colorful retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears via the alphabet. Kids are sure to love the illustrations and parents and teachers will enjoy the vocabulary and phonetic awareness crafted into this picture book.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goldilocks and the Three Bears retold as an alphabet book.

[Franki Sibberson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever--love it!

[Harla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ABC book and I loved the tie in with a fairy tale. I would love to add it to the fairy tale story time kit!!! Very readable one on one or to large groups.

[Katie Dicesare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and interactive for kids... Invites thinking.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a must add to my classroom library. Will love it for comparing to other versions of The Three Bears.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

A retelling of the classic tale highlights the letters from A to Z.

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun way of telling Goldie Locks and the Three Bears while focusing on the alphabet.

[Jodie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ABC version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears

[Starr Elementary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, basic Goldilocks story using the alphabet

[Nanci Booher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The three bears meet goldilocks in this ABC twist of a story. Fun illustrations, easy to understand text this would make a great storytime book!

[Debbie Tanner · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a re-tell of Goldilocks and the Three Bears in ABC format. I think it would make a good mentor text for retelling but I think kids would have a hard time following the whole format.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter and I had fun reading this book. I wish a few of the letters had more words with the letter and sound examples, but over all really cute.

[Brigitte Brulz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how the author told a popular story in alphabetical order. It was interesting and flowed smoothly from one letter to the next. Great read!

[Donna]

THE THREE BEARS ABC Gorgeous illustrations!