Goldi Rocks and the Three Bears

Following her fairy tale rejiggering in The Three Ninja Pigs, Schwartz, joined by newcomer Coulton, riffs on "Goldilocks" for all the future guitar heroes out there. The meter and rhyme scheme have the feel of a limerick, giving the story a buoyant singsong quality. When the three bears leave in search of a soprano for their band, Goldi wanders into their cottage and discovers that Baby Bear's mic is the perfect height, his headphones fit just right, and his piano is "perfectly grand." The bears have no luck finding a singer (unsuccessful candidates include three little pigs and Red Riding Hood) and return to find Goldi asleep. After she awakens with a scream that hits high C, the bears recruit her: "Together they wrote a new ditty./ They practiced it into the night./ And soon their new jingle/ became a hit single--/ 'Too Hot, Too Cold, or Just Right?' " Wragg's mixed-media cartoons evoke vintage Golden Books, and while his characters are a bit too sweet-looking to truly rock out, his humorous flourishes match the mood of the storytelling. Ages 5-8. Illustrator's agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Feb.)

K-Gr 2--In this modernized version of the fairy tale, the bears are a jammin' rock-and-roll group, but they can't seem to draw a crowd. They really need a singer who can hit the high notes. While they're out auditioning new talent, Goldi walks into their house/studio. But this blond youngster bypasses the porridge in favor of the musical gear. Naturally, the bears are outraged when they come home to find a sleeping girl, but once they find out she has pipes of gold, they write a new song, "Too Hot, Too Cold, or Just Right?" and their new band is a hit. This retelling stays committed to the rock-and-roll concept. The text is short, and the pacing is quick, but quite a few of the slang terms could make the book inaccessible for some children. The illustrations, pencil and painted textures combined with Photoshop, are grounded in a golden-brown palette and are reminiscent of concept art created for animated films. Although the pictures are lively and fun, there are a few continuity issues. Most notably, on one page Goldi is wearing Baby Bear's headphones, but after that page they disappear without explanation. The story attempts to appeal to the hipness of rock and roll, but mostly the plot is trite and predictable. Good for kids with an interest in music, but less engaging for others.--Amy Seto Musser, Denver Public Library