Goldi Rocks and the Three Bears

Following her fairy tale rejiggering in The Three Ninja Pigs, Schwartz, joined by newcomer Coulton, riffs on “Goldilocks” for all the future guitar heroes out there. The meter and rhyme scheme have the feel of a limerick, giving the story a buoyant singsong quality. When the three bears leave in search of a soprano for their band, Goldi wanders into their cottage and discovers that Baby Bear’s mic is the perfect height, his headphones fit just right, and his piano is “perfectly grand.” The bears have no luck finding a singer (unsuccessful candidates include three little pigs and Red Riding Hood) and return to find Goldi asleep. After she awakens with a scream that hits high C, the bears recruit her: “Together they wrote a new ditty./ They practiced it into the night./ And soon their new jingle/ became a hit single—/ ‘Too Hot, Too Cold, or Just Right?’ ” Wragg’s mixed-media cartoons evoke vintage Golden Books, and while his characters are a bit too sweet-looking to truly rock out, his humorous flourishes match the mood of the storytelling. Ages 5–8. Illustrator’s agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Feb.)