Santa Claus and the Three Bears

Santa Claus and the Three Bears written by Maria Modugno and illustrated by Jane and Brooke Dyer (2013)

The three Polar Bears were getting their home ready for Christmas. They decorated the tree, hung the stockings, and cooked a huge Christmas pudding. But when they sat down to eat, they found the pudding was too hot, so the three bears decided to go for a walk while it cooled down. While they were gone, Santa had just landed on the roof the the three bears’ house. Santa saw the beautiful decorations and smelled the wonderful pudding on the table. Thinking the pudding had been left for him, he began to eat… Papa Bear’s pudding was too hot, Mama Bear’s pudding was too cold, but Baby Bear’s pudding was just right, so he ate it all up. Then Santa proceeded to sit in the bears’ chairs… one too hard, one too soft, one just right. But like the story goes, Santa bounced a little too much in Baby Bear’s chair and it broke, landing Santa on the floor. So of course, Santa moves into the Bears’ bedroom and tries out all the beds… too high, too low, just right. And Santa falls asleep in Baby Bear’s bed. When the bears returned home, they grumbled and growled, ‘Somebody has been eating my pudding!’ ‘Somebody has been sitting in my chair!’ and finally ‘Somebody has been sleeping in my bed!’.  All the commotion woke Santa up. He made the bears promise that they wouldn’t tell anyone they had seen him and gave them each a bright red present to open in the morning, and he jumped in his sleigh and took off.

Maria Modugno did a nice job of retelling a favorite fairy tale with a little Christmas twist. And the illustrations are splendid. Jane and Brooke Dyer gave just enough detail in their artwork to resemble the traditional three bears story with a fun little twist at the end, when Papa Bear gets the little wee present, Mama Bear gets the medium sized present, and Baby Bear gets the great big present.

This was a fun story to read. And, whether or not children are familiar with the traditional tale, this is one I’m sure they will enjoy reading and hearing over and over.

Goldi Rocks and the Three Bears

Goldi Rocks and the Three Bears written by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Beth Coulton and illustrated by Nate Wragg (2014)

‘Once upon a rock-and-roll time’… the Bear family played in band. However, they didn’t have very many fans yet. Papa Bear decided that what they needed was a soprano who could sing all the high notes. And it just so happened that as soon as they left their house in search of a soprano, a little girl came to their house. Inside, the little girl hurried over to their practice stage and began preforming a do-whop dum-diddy-do until she fell and broke the microphone. Then she tried Papa Bear’s drum set, Mama Bear’s guitar, and Baby Bear’s keyboard. She played and played until she fell asleep on the stage. When the bears came home from an unsuccessful day of listening to tryouts, they found the mess and the little girl drooling on the keyboard. Papa Bear disrupted her sleep and she awoke with a scream, which just so happened to be a perfect high C. Instead of running away, the girl stayed with the bears and together they wrote a new hit single – ‘Too Hot, Too Cold, or Just Right?’ They topped all the rock charts and their new fans were crazy about… Goldi Rocks and the Great Three Bear Band!

Corey Rosen Schwartz and Beth Coulton have come up with a modern twist to a favorite old fairy tale. Written in rhyme and set with a rock and roll background, this story delivers a punch!

Nate Wragg brings the timeless characters to life. The illustrations are both nostalgic and edgy.

I love this new take on an old favorite! The traditional theme of breaking-in and destroying the bear’s belongings is freshened up with the final working together of Goldilocks and the Bears. The story is music to my ears!

The Three Ninja Pigs

The Three Ninja Pigs written by Corey Rosen Schwartz and illustrated by Dan Santat (2012)

This is a new twist on an old classic. That bully, the big bad wolf, is at it again… this time in a fractured fairy tale rhyme written by Corey Rosen Schwartz. The characters are three simple pigs who have had enough of that old bully. They decide to take aikido, jujitsu, and karate. As expected, the first two pigs give up easily but the third little pig ‘persisted in ernest’ until she earned her last belt. Then when the wolf came back, the first little pig wished he had prepared more and ran to his brother’s house; the second little pig got his foot lodged in the wall when he tried his best flying kick and had to be carried by his brother to the third little pig’s house; and the third little pig bowed to the wolf and gave him a warning before she demonstrated her skills. The surprised wolf took off running while the brothers ‘high-fived their sister’ and cheered.  The brothers decided to go back to school and trained until they earned their degrees. “Three pigs full of mojo then ran their own dojo, and life was forever wolf-free.”

Corey Rosen Schwartz weaves the story with fast-paced action and humor and lots of ‘ninja’ terms to entertain the youngest ninja readers. She says she got her idea for the story when her own son told someone that he spoke a little ‘karate’. For anyone not familiar with the vocabulary used in the book, there is a glossary of terms at the end.

Dan Santat, creator of Disney’s ‘The Replacements’ and holder of a black belt himself, filled the pages of this book with funny and authentic illustrations.

I love reading fractured fairy tales and this is one of my new favorites. The rhyme and illustrations are ninja-perfect! And I’m also particularly pleased with the characterization of the third little pig being a smart, funny, and strong sister. Go Girl Power!

Jackie and the Beanstalk

Three Cheers for Spring!

Hip-hip-hurray!  Hip-hip-hurray!  Hip-hip-hurray!

Today is the First Day of Spring! And Susanna Leonard Hill is having a spring writing contest on her site, details below.

http://susannahill.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-march-madness-writing-contest-is.html?m=1

Basically, The March Madness Writing Contest is a challenge to write a fractured fairy tale in 400 words or less.  Having a spring theme is optional, and I decided to give it a try since today is the official first day of spring… at least on the calendar!  My story is based on an old favorite, Jack and the Beanstalk.  Now, before you get all outraged at using a familiar folk tale, remember that fairy tale is the umbrella for fables, folk tales, myths, and legends.  Besides, on her own website, Susanna uses a picture of The Three Little Pigs, and her sample story (which is great, by the way) is based on The Gingerbread Boy, both folk tales under the fairy tale umbrella.  

So without further ado, I present to you a 400 word fractured fairy tale….

Jackie and the Beanstalk

(A fractured fairy tale formally known as Jackie and the Three Beans)

Jackie’s mother sent her to buy milk, eggs, and bread for the umpteenth polar vortex of the year.  Obviously, she was preparing French toast for breakfast.  Along the snow-covered path to the market, Jackie met a kindly old man; I think his name was Winter.  He offered to sell Jackie three magic beans, which he assured her, would trumpet the arrival of spring.  Removing her gloves, Jackie traded the man the coins her mother had given her for his mysterious magic beans.

Jackie raced home; okay, maybe she slipped and slid and skated home.  Either way; she kicked the snow off her boots, unwrapped the scarf from her neck, flung her overcoat on the table and announced, “Good News: Spring is on the Way!”

Upon hearing her freezing child’s tale, Jackie’s mother raged.  “How could you fall for that old geezer’s trick?”  She opened the door, letting in another cold blast of artic air, and flung the beans into the snow.

Well, you know where this is going, right?  Overnight, a giant beanstalk grew outside Jackie’s door.  In the morning she saw that it reached up, up, up, over fresh-fallen snow, above frosted trees, and past crystal clouds.  Jackie donned her gay apparel, which wasn’t a gay as it had been three months earlier, and climbed the sturdy beanstalk.

When she arrived at the top, breathless and a little dizzy, Jackie saw a radiant glass castle shimmering under the sun.  A lively elf with green thumbs greeted her.  “Come in,” he welcomed her.  “We were just preparing breakfast.”

Jackie, tired and extremely hungry from her long ascent, accepted.  She filled her belly with the most delicious French toast she had ever eaten and then immediately laid down for a quick morning nap.  She dreamt of lush green lawns, fragrant flowers, and warm sunshine on her face.  Waking up, she noticed that she was in a greenhouse.  Why she didn’t realize that earlier, we’ll never understand.  Regardless, Jackie tracked down the elf and pleaded her case.  Joyfully he explained that this was Mother Nature’s greenhouse.  He sprinkled a little magical soil over her and sent her home.

As Jackie descended, she could feel the sunshine on her back and a warm breeze in her hair.   She noticed the buds on the trees and the robin’s return.  She jumped into a puddle and ran into the house.

“Spring has sprung!” she proclaimed.