GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS

Another wittily embellished update in the manner of Langley's Rumpelstiltskin (1992). Father ``George'' vacuums and makes the porridge; Mother ``Mavis's'' chair may be softest, but she's the one who mends little ``Brian's'' chair with an electric drill; their cozy home has dozens of bear motifs to discover, Ö la L. L. Brooke. The lively text varies familiar litanies to good effect—Mother Bear's voice is ``mellow'' as well as ``middle- sized,'' gently extending young vocabularies while affectionately parodying the original. The full humor is realized in the amusingly detailed art, where every stance and face expresses character and emotion. This doesn't have quite the verve or the delicious irreverence of James Marshall's retelling (1988); still, it's charming enough to deserve a place in most collections. (Picture book. 4-8)