I was smiling as soon as I opened Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs and saw the endpapers, and was thrilled that Willems kept the humor going through the whole story. Besides twisting the well-known fairy tale, Willems also turns it more into a fable by ending the story with morals (however questionable those may be…). Throughout the book, the dinosaurs seem a little devious, setting traps for the little girl, but they also seem like creatures children would want to be friends with. Willems uses a gentle dose of anthropomorphism to make his dinosaurs more relatable to the reader, especially those who are already familiar with Goldilocks’ mischief. Willems shows some humor in his drawing style as well, by adding homages to his other works in the background of some scenes. He adds a bit of shadow to the characters, which helps them pop off the page. He outlines the characters with what looks like a black crayon, though the other colors are smooth and vibrant. Though I say his illustrations are “simple,” that doesn’t mean they’re lacking, simply that no page is too crammed with artistic elements. He pulls the reader into the story with his simple, clean illustrations, and makes them comfortable by letting them in on the joke.
Mo Willems lets his fantastic sense of humor shine in this twist on a favorite fairy tale. Will Goldilocks find out who lives in the house before they find her? It is then she realizes everything in this house is big.
She tries each pudding, then searches for a place to sit. Goldilocks comes by the house and, true to her style, goes right in.
They make it quite clear when they leave the house, but continually reassure everyone involved - readers included! - that they are not hiding in the woods, waiting for a trespasser. Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur, and no, not the Baby Dinosaur you might be expecting, but rather some other Dinosaur who happens to be visiting from Norway, decide to rig up their house so it is just so. Do you think you know all about the antics of Goldilocks? The three dinosaurs certainly think so.
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