The Three Bears ABC
“Goldilocks and the Three Bears” gets the concept-book treatment in this alphabetical retelling. Starting with “A is for alphabet”—to set the stage—and finishing with “Z is for zany . . . because it was that kind of day,” the familiar fairy tale is strung along from letter to letter. The format works reasonably well. Maccarone is able to fit the story within the parameters of an alphabet book without including too many connections that feel like placeholders (one such placeholder: “I is for inside, where Goldilocks goes”) until she reaches a more suitable letter. The cartoonlike illustrations have the appearance of animation stills and reinforce the text, telling the story from the point of view of the bears, who are more bemused than angry. While this book neither revolutionizes the alphabet book nor turns the fairy tale on its head, it straddles the two genres with enough success that it should appeal to fans of both. Preschool-Grade 1. --Kara Dean