The Three Snow Bears

July 30, 2007
The perennially popular Brett sets this wintry spin on the Goldilocks tale in the Arctic. A polar bear family leaves its igloo for a walk to let Baby Bear’s soup cool just as Aloo-ki, an Inuit girl, runs past, searching for her team of huskies, which have drifted away on an ice floe. Distracted by the aroma of the soup, Aloo-ki wanders into the igloo, and the rest is (not quite) history. Set against a background rendered as chilly blocks of ice, Brett’s trademark border panels unfold the simultaneous story of the bears, who rescue the stranded dog team even as Aloo-ki makes free with their breakfast and home comforts. Kids will enjoy the variations on a nursery room standard, although the main draw is, as usual, Brett’s characteristically detailed art. She pays loving attention to folkways, attiring the bears and other animals in furry parkas with geometric Inuit designs and furnishing the igloo with implements crafted in a native style. But between the frigid tones of the icy borders and the minor key of the story, the volume is narrower in its appeal than Brett’s (The Mitten
) best. Ages 4-up.

December 1, 2007
PreS-Gr 3-Filled with the gorgeously detailed watercolor and gouache illustrations that distinguish her work, this Arctic version of a classic tale is pure Brett. In the wintry white world of the far north, Aloo-ki, a young Inuit girl, steps into the role of Goldilocks. Separated from her team of huskies while fishing among ice floes, she stumbles upon the three snow bears' empty igloo. She proceeds to taste their soup, try on their boots, and, as expected, sample each of their beds before falling asleep in Baby Bear's pile of cozy furs. Meanwhile, the polar bears rescue Aloo-ki's dog team and bring them back to the igloo, where they discover evidence of the intruder and quickly locate the sleeping girl. Awakened to find herself face-to-face with three huge bears, Aloo-ki rushes outdoors, gathers her huskies, and waves a thank-you before hurrying away on her sled. The plot remains true to the progression of the traditional tale and the narrative moves swiftly. Side panels depict regional fauna and help convey the action. Aloo-ki and many of the animals wear clothing inspired by Inuit designs, adding splashes of color to the snowy backdrops. This book is sure to be appreciated by the author's fans and those seeking multicultural variations on the Goldilocks story.Piper Nyman, Brookmeade Elementary School, Nashville, TN

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2007
In her newest book Brett transplants The Three Bears to an Arctic setting and, inspired by garb and art encountered on a visit to Nunavut, incorporates beautifully patterned furs, beadwork, carvings, and borders into her typically eye-filling illustrations. Searching for her sled dogs, young Aloo-ki comes upon an oversize igloo from which a family of particularly feral-looking polar bears have just stepped. By the time the bears return (having rescued her dogs from an ice floe), she has drunk baby bears soup, traded her boots for baby bears nicer ones, and fallen asleep on a pile of furs. Finding no windows through which to leap when she is discovered, she makes her escape by diving between Papa Bears legs and sleds off, exchanging friendly waves with the bearswho evidently take the loss of the soup and the boots in good spirits. Dogs and arctic wildlife in Inuit dress frolic in flanking panels, adding even more visual energy to this cheerful icebound iteration of the familiar folktale.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)