Moldilocks and the Three Scares: A Zombie Tale

The traditional fairy tale gets a Halloween update and an adoption twist. . . . Lorenzo's acrylic-and-colored-pencil illustrations feature rich and vivid colors; lots of bones, skulls, and spiderwebs make up most of the home's ambience. How this unusual family finds exactly what they were missing makes for a satisfying tale.

The three Scares--Papa resembles Frankenstein's monster, Mama is a mummy/Bride of Frankenstein hybrid, and Baby is a wee vampire--live in a haunted house "with room enough for four," writes Marie. Despite having a ghost dog and a bell tower full of bats, they each yearn for a missing someone. Enter green-skinned Moldilocks, who, drawn by a scent that "smelled like home, something she hadn't enjoyed in a long, long time," lumbers into the momentarily vacated Scare house and wreaks the same havoc as her fairy tale counterpart (Baby's chair, made of delicate bones, is reduced to dust). Instead of exhibiting fury, the family that discovers her welcomes her with open arms: "HOW DARE YOU... eat without us!" a joyful Papa cries. "I've always wanted another mouth to feed." It's a horror spoof with a big heart: Lorenzo's acrylic and colored pencil cartooning offers a warm glow, and readers will cheer for this undead family that finally feels complete. Ages 4-8. (Aug.)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

K-Gr 3 This spooky retelling of a familiar fairy tale introduces readers to the Scares, a family of three in a house built for four. Papa Scare is a Frankenstein's monster, Mama Scare is a mummy, and Baby Scare is a wee vampire. When they go out to walk Plasma, their ghost dog, a zombie named Moldilocks sneaks into their house, eats their Alpha-Bat Soup, sits in an electric chair, and eventually falls asleep under Baby Scare's vampire-bat quilt. Marie's text hews closely to the structure of the classic tale in a way that will either feel comfortably familiar or unoriginal and redundant, depending on one's point of view. Lorenzo's cartoonish characters are more friendly than frightening. Papa wears a giant oven mitt and Mama has tall Marge Simpson-meets-Bride of Frankenstein hair. The colorful scenery is packed with spooky details, like the mummy mom's "bed" being a sarcophagus. The penciled colors take the edge off any frights and create a gently macabre atmosphere. When the Scares find Moldilocks, there is an initial frightening moment of suspense—what will these monsters do to her? It turns out they adopt the apparently orphaned zombie girl into their mixed-up monster family. VERDICT This change to the traditional ending adds a warm element of familial acceptance. Recommended for a Halloween storytime.--Chance Lee Joyner, Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library, NH

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.