Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this dazzling remix, Brett (Gingerbread Christmas) sets "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" under the sea. The bears turn into octopuses, dressed in the straw hats and indigo-dyed coats of rural Japan, and Goldilocks becomes Kiniro, a mermaid with black hair and golden scales ("kin-iro" is Japanese for gold). A sweet twist at the outset imagines Otosan and Okosan (Japanese for father and mother) putting a new hat on Baby: "Baby did not like the floppy new hat. The hat was not happy, either." The hat is actually a ray, and although Kiniro ruins as many of the octopuses' possessions as Goldilocks does ("Someone has been crunching on my crustaceans"), she leaves Baby a much nicer piece of headwear. Brett's brightly colored, highly detailed art shines in this aquatic setting as she embellishes the octopuses' dwelling with shells, coral, and tropical fish that swim in and out of the windows. Small, jewel-like vignettes set into the main spreads reveal what's happening elsewhere (Kiniro sleeping innocently offstage as the octopus family returns). Brett's fans will rejoice, and she'll make new ones, too. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2--It's never too soon to start bringing toddlers and babies into the wondrous details of Brett's books, so there is much to love about this sturdy 2017 retelling of Goldilocks's story, now in a board book and therefore a portable, chewable form. The text has not been altered; in the waters just off Okinawa, Kiniro, a mermaid is drawn to a small seashell house. When she enters, she finds a table set for breakfast. She samples each dish, but prefers the smallest one and finishes it. Her puffer fish friend observes all, including her discovery by the octopus family when they return to their home. Vibrant illustrations in shades of turquoise, pink, green, and blue include fantastical border art, perhaps for older siblings to help explore. VERDICT This has always been a book to share, but now it's ready for little hands. For folktale and fairy tale shelves, too.
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Review by Horn Book Review
Drawing on a trip to Okinawa, Japan, and an encounter with the New England Aquarium's famous octopus, Brett recasts "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" with a mermaid named Kiniro and three Pacific octopuses. The retelling is faithful, with just a few changes and the addition of a puffer-fish sidekick, but the lavish illustrations are pure Brett, playing extravagantly with undersea and Okinawan motifs. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
More "The Three Bears" than "The Little Mermaid," Brett's latest picture book was inspired by her visits to Okinawa and the New England Aquarium, where she encountered the Pacific octopus. The titular mermaid is named Kiniro, and her Japanese-inspired name, dark rather than golden tresses, and East Asian features are links to Brett's Japanese inspiration for the story. Various illustrative details of the setting and characters' costuming also seem tied to Japan, but the text is firmly rooted in the very English "The Three Bears." While swimming with her friend Puffy (a puffer fish), Kiniro happens upon the house of an octopus family. In keeping with the folk-tale source material, Otosan (the father), Okasan (the mother), and Baby, an octopus family, have all gone out, leaving Kiniro to try their breakfast, their chairs, and their beds. In each instance she prefers Baby's things, and she drifts off to sleep in a clamshell bed. Throughout, Brett's signature sidebar illustrations show the octopus family on their outing, each wearing a hat. (A subplot about the octopuses' hats detracts from the story with superfluous detail.) When they return, they are upset by Kiniro's intrusion, but Puffy protects her, and they escape with a new friend in towa stingray who had been Baby's hat and which Kiniro replaces with a tiara. Not quite just right but sure to please Brett's fans. (Picture book. 3-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
