Commentaire descriptif

An original approach to storytelling reverses the order of nursery tale classics. Goldilocks arrives home “all bothered and hot.… Previously she had been climbing out of somebody’s else’s window.” Children will appreciate where the story is going, and may wish to anticipate what happens next – or previously, to be more accurate. The language is lighthearted and casual: “Previously she had been humming a tune and having a little skip by herself in the dark woods.” The illustrations’ hand-painted effects are well suited to the story’s playful pastiche, which includes Jack in a double role with the beanstalk and Jill, a frog (ex-prince), and other familiar favourites. Swaths of colour create rolling hills as the story shifts to a larger perspective. An evening forest merges with the floor that Cinderella mops: “And all the bears were cubs. And all the frogs were tadpoles … and ballroom floors were planks of wood. And all the wood was trees.” From silly to thoughtful, from ending to origin, this book will engage all readers of all ages and stages. The book can also be used to demonstrate a range of past tenses for English language learners.