Goldilocks and the Three Bears: A Tale Moderne

In Guarnaccia's visually appealing salute to modern design, that crazy chick Goldilocks crashes out in an ultra-stylish pad. When the Three Bears get home, they proceed to the kidney-shaped table and find their lunch (served in a vintage 1956 Swedish casserole) half eaten. ""It's so unfair, someone's been eating my chili, and has eaten it all up,"" Baby Bear laments. Even worse, someone has broken his 1946 Eames chair and deflated Mama Bear's 1967 Italian inflatable bed. Luckily for Goldilocks, these Bears don't growl or file an insurance claim, they just watch her hasty retreat from a window of their retro-chic split-level home. The familiar story simply provides a context for the hip furnishings. Guarnaccia details his characters in India ink, watercolor and opaque marker; his generous, fluid line and 1930s cartoon aesthetic pump up the nostalgic feel. The endpapers include sketches of the furniture items, each labeled with a designer's name and date, found throughout the book. Those who yearn for Scandinavian furniture or George Nelson's 1950s-era clocks will covet the Three Bears' wares. Warning: this fetishistic fairy tale, which may do more for parents than for their progeny, could cultivate an eBay shopper. Ages 3-7. (Apr.)