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.