Goldilocks for Dinner: a Funny Book About Manners

by Susan McElroy Montanari, Jake Parker (Illustrator)

Classic fairy tales meet tongue-in-cheek humor in this hilarious read-aloud--illustrated by a #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator--about a goblin and a troll as they set out to find the rudest child of all and teach her some manners!

Goblin and Troll are headed to town for tea, hoping they don't run into any wretched children. Children are smelly and rude ! Goblin has an they'll find the rudest child of all and have it for dinner ! Filled with a cast of familiar storytime characters like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, here's a fresh read-aloud with the feel of a classic fairy tale. Chock-full of rude characters and sly humor, and with a twist ending, this surprising story is sure to leave kids roaring with laughter.

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Monsters

40 pages, Hardcover

Published August 1, 2019

Reviews

[Claire Draper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

I loved this book. The art feels very fresh and the story has a surprise twist! What a great read.

[Shaye Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a humorous tale created with well-known story time characters. Goblin and Troll are on a mission to find the rudest child so they can have them for dinner. As they run into different characters along the way, they aren't fully satisfied until they meet Goldilocks. So rude! Look for the fun twist ending to this one. :) The illustrations were rendered in ink and colored digitally.

For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!

[Mrs. Mazzola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, but not remarkable. It felt like reading an extended Saturday comic strip, with that same illustration style and funny punchline, but it felt a little too long/wordy. I did like the references to other nursery rhyme/fairy tale characters and would fit nicely into 7Habits curriculum for teachers to share.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Troll and Goblin were on their way into town for a cup of tea when they decided they would find the rudest child they could and teach them a lesson. Mary was more contrary than rude and the boy who put his thumb in a pie and pulled out a plum was more disgusting than rude. Then they met Goldilocks. She really was the rudest child they have ever met, so they invited her for dinner. When Goldilocks arrived she realized that they planned on eating her for dinner and ran away. But were they really going to eat her? Troll and Goblin removed her place setting from the table and bemoaned the fact that they could not teach her good dinner manners.

[Alexa Millhorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was very creative on many levels. It teaches children about manners in a very fun way where they may not realize that they are learning, but they will undoubtedly learn a lesson about what manners are and what it means to have good manners. This book also ties in many aspects from other nursery rhymes/characters which I really enjoyed because I think it will keep the students’ minds working and constantly recalling on their background/previous knowledge. Additionally, I really enjoyed the illustrations throughout this book, they were very colorful and visually appealing.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Troll and Ogre set out to find the rudest child and have it for dinner. After strolling around town, they decide that Goldilocks is the rudest and invite her to dinner. Surprise ending as after she runs away from their home, readers discover they really were inviting her to join them for dinner to work on manner. Don't miss all the action in the background on each page.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this story through the lens of my 2nd language learners who aren't as familiar with traditional folk tales and I think they would have a difficult time picking up on the references used in this book. It was just ok for me but I have to admit I didn't see the twist coming at the end-I truly thought they wanted to eat Goldilocks.

[Hannah Ketchum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the twist on the various children's books that are shown within this book. This is a very fun book to use when teaching children about manners and why it is important to use manners. Even though the students will think that they are not truly learning manners, they will definitely remember to use their manners after seeing the lesson depicted within this book. There are many other nursery book characters hidden within the background of the pages of these books that you may even ask your students to point out before reading about them. The troll and the goblin went looking through town for the rudest kid and meant some rude children along the way but weren't happy until they met Goldilocks.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one just didn't click for me. I wish there had been more development around the manners (or lack of) and the characters. The nursery rhyme/fairy tale characters were a fun addition, but just a very few were touched upon.

[Mills College Library]

Picture M7648g 2018

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some clever points that kids will miss unless they are familiar with the nursery rhymes.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book about manners

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rude girl falls into a mild misunderstanding. Nice graphics.

[Patty Barr · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s fun to find all the nursery rhyme and fairy tale characters in the illustrations.

[Jonathan Cavazos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining book about manners. The illustrations were entertaining too. My nieces would love this.

[Shannon Bradbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a fun book for kids to read to learn manners. Goldilocks doesn’t have manners. But she’s about to learn some from the most unlikely of people.

[Judy Ripke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun way to talk about respect and manners with children, with a surprise ending.