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Goldilocks

James Marshall retold four folk tales, and they're all now canonical: "Goldilocks" (the award winner), "The Three Little Pigs," "Little Red Ridinghood," and "Hansel and Gretel."

In each case, Marshall sticks pretty close to the source material; he isn't distracting you with self-conscious, arty flourishes. ("The Wolf: HIS Perspective"--!) I sense that Goldilocks is a character who especially "activates" Marshall's imagination; Goldilocks doesn't do what she is told, and Marshall seems to enjoy cataloging her bits of naughtiness. ("Sweet-looking girl!" says one villager. And another rolls his eyes. "That's what YOU think.")

By contrast, Little Red Ridinghood simply follows rules, and I sense that Marshall keeps himself interested, in that case, by crazily drawing dozens of cats, in the background, in several of the scenes.

After "Goldilocks," "The Three Little Pigs" ranks high for me. In this one, I particularly like the attention Marshall gives to the pigs' sartorial choices: One pig can't really be bothered to zip his fly (he ends up dead), another seems to wear a lei at all times (he ends up dead), and a third dresses like a banker, consistently (he wins the game).

I have a feeling Marshall was drawn to folk tales in part because he felt an interest in patterns, particularly "the rule of threes." A set of threes is the easiest way to establish a pattern with a twist. "I came, I saw, I conquered." "No shoes, no shirt, no service." You see threes all over Marshall's work. Dead pig, dead pig, shrewd pig. Missing porridge, broken chair, invader in the bedroom. Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, tense showdown. It's such a pleasure, if you're a kid, to (a) detect the pattern and (b) try to guess what the final act will entail. You can sense Marshall's pleasure, as well, so the stories become all-absorbing.

My family owns "Goldilocks" now, but I have a hunch that we'll be getting the three others. I wish Marshall had been around to do more work. I'm giving my highest recommendation.
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