Move over, Goldilocks – here comes Gordon Loggins! In this retelling, the classic tale gets more than a few twists. It’s a story within a story: a young boy named Gordon Loggins, while waiting for storytime to begin at the library, discovers a door in one of the bookshelves. He goes through the door, sees a small house, and walks in, unwittingly stumbling upon the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. There on the table are three bowls of porridge. “Ugh! Porridge,” says Gordon Loggins. Three furry heads – one large, one medium, and one small – peer around the corner. A discussion ensues, as there are a few problems: the bears are expecting Goldilocks, Gordon Loggins won’t eat the porridge, and the bears think he’s too puny. Meanwhile, they can hear the children back at the library chanting, “We want a story!”

Luckily, Gordon Loggins knows the story of Goldilocks and agrees to play the starring role, which he performs with gusto. He eats the required amount of porridge (adding chocolate chips helps). Papa Bear helps him break Baby Bear’s chair. Then comes the big moment: Gordon Loggins, who appears to be sleeping soundly in Baby Bear’s bed, waits for the three bears to tiptoe closer, closer, closer. When they are right beside him, he gives a huge ROAR! The bears scramble out of the room, frightened half to death, then they all start to laugh. When they finally stop, they hear more laughing – from the children back at the library who have been listening to the story.

Author Linda Bailey’s text is funny and fast-paced, but not out of control. Gordon Loggins is a winning character who, in an unusual situation, meets the challenge and gets the last laugh. The three bears are charming creatures with great senses of humour; these seasoned characters show considerable flexibility when their story gets turned on its ear. Tracy Walker’s appealing watercolour and ink illustrations in strong, warm colours (gold, brown, green, and blue) are full of neat details and great facial expressions. Their sense of fun complements the text and adds to the reader’s enjoyment.

This hilarious story will be a big hit with kids who know the classic tale. The first time they hear it, they’ll be surprised at the turn the story takes. After that, they’ll wait for the huge roar and laugh their heads off every time.