“Once upon a time there were three hungry dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur … and a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway.
One day—for no particular reason—they decided to tidy up their house, make the beds, and prepare pudding of varying temperatures. And then—for no particular reason—they decided to go … someplace else. They were definitely NOT setting a trap for some succulent, unsupervised little girl.
Definitely NOT!”
And so begins Mo Willems’ fractured fairytale that is nothing short of a hoot and a holler, dinosaur style. Young readers who know the original story front to back will laugh out loud at this hilarious send up. This version will delight young readers, but adults will get a belly laugh out of this funny retelling of Robert Southey’s classic fairytale.
Author and illustrator Willems has received multiple Caldecott Honors and Geisel medals. Willems was also awarded six Emmys for his work as an animator and writer on Sesame Street. His picture books—including Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Knuffle Bunny—have numerous fans.
Once the dinosaurs have set their trap, uh, I mean finished making some delicious chocolate pudding and setting it out to cool, they go “someplace else.” They are definitely not lurking nearby! Of course along comes Goldilocks who has a penchant for breaking and entering. The look on her face after eating all the pudding is hysterical and, in my case, oddly familiar!
Suddenly she hears a loud noise that seems to say, “A few more minutes, and she’ll be asleep. Delicious chocolate-filled little girl bonbons are yummier when they’re rested.” Oh, dear! What happens next you will have to find out by reading this very funny story.
Willems’ illustrations only enhance the hilarity of this silliness. They are worth a second look for funny asides like a wall poster in the dinosaurs’ home that states “We are natural gas.” Talk about your fossil fools!
Another humorous aside is inside the covers, where Willems lists numerous other title ideas, each crossed out. My favorite is “Goldilocks and the Three Stooges!” Nyuck, nyuck, nyuck!
“What Kids are Reading” is a regular feature in the Sun, highlighting children’s books available for young readers in Santa Maria. This week’s recommendation was made by local writer, humorist, educator, grandmother, and dinosaur Ariel Waterman.
This article appears in Jun 27 – Jul 4, 2013.