Goldilocks and the Six Simple Machines (Science Folktales) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes
Goldilocks and the Six Simple Machines by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Goldilocks and the Six Simple Machines is an imaginative retelling of the classic fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Goldilocks is riding her bike through the woods one day when she comes across the home of the three bears who are out for a walk. In this version we learn about simple machines as Goldilocks goes inside and fixes things around the home of the bears. She fixes the porridge, a wobbly table leg, and baby bear’s broken chair. When the bears come home, they find Goldilocks sleeping in one of their beds and use a simple machine to lift her out of the bed. Goldilocks also helps baby bear raise a flag using a simple machine. This was such a cute, imaginative, and entertaining retelling of the classic fairytale. Kids will learn about six simple machines as well as kindness, respect, being helpful, learning how to problem solve, and leaving things better than you found them. This book was engaging and fun, but I was disappointed in the quality of the illustrations and found them to be a bit childish. (No offense to the illustrator, just my personal opinion.) I hope that in future editions of this book the illustrations will be more like in the author’s other books as this will really make the story pop off the pages. Overall, a great book!
