cover image Rubia and the Three Osos

Rubia and the Three Osos

Susan Middleton Elya, illus. by Melissa Sweet, Disney-Hyperion, $15.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4231-1252-5

Elya's verse doesn't miss a beat as she delivers a playful slang- and Spanish-inflected retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. While the bears are out for a pre-dinner walk, Little Miss Rubia makes herself at home: "She opened la puerta and saw the fine food./ ‘¡Sopa!' she said. ‘I am so in the mood!' " Rubia escapes when the bears return home, but makes amends for her bad behavior, leading Papá to tell her, "Our house es tu casa." With highlights of bright magenta, green, and orange, Sweet's mixed-media artwork amplifies the characters' delight, anger, and guilt, and Elya's pitch-perfect verse will have readers clamoring for seconds. Ages 3–7. (Sept.)