Goldilocks and the Three Bears - Bedtime stories for kids

Do you ever struggle to find things that are just right for you? One little girl keeps having that problem in this Read Aloud with Mr. Paul. Welcome to Read Aloud with Mr. Paul. I'm so glad you could be here. Be sure and subscribe so you don't miss a single story. Today we'll be reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears, retold and illustrated by Jan Brett. Here's our title page, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, retold and illustrated by Jan Brett. Here's the dedication page. Ms. Brett dedicates the book for Betty, Sally, and Joe, and for Miriam. Once upon a time there were three bears who lived together in a house of their own in a wood. One of them was a little small wee bear, and one was a middle-sized bear, and the other was a great huge bear. They each had a bowl for their porridge, a little bowl for the little small wee bear, a middle-sized bowl for the middle-sized bear, and a great huge bowl for the great huge bear. And they each had a chair to sit in, a little chair for the little small wee bear, a middle-sized chair for the middle-sized bear, and a great huge chair for the great huge bear. And they each had a bed to sleep in, a little bed for the little small wee bear, a middle-sized bed for the middle-sized bear, and a great huge bed for the great huge bear. One day, after they had made their porridge for breakfast and poured it into their porridge bowls, they walked out into the woods while the porridge was cooling. And while they were walking, a little girl named Goldilocks came to their house. First she looked in the window, then she peeped in at the keyhole, and seeing no one was at home, she lifted the latch. The door opened before her, and in she went. How pleased Goldilocks was when she saw the steaming porridge on the table. The sweet smell of the porridge with roasted nuts, honey, and berries filled the room. It was so tempting that Goldilocks set about helping herself. First she tasted the porridge of the great huge bear, but it was too hot. Then she tasted the porridge of the middle-sized bear, but it was too cold. Then she tried the porridge of the little small wee bear, and it was neither too hot nor too cold. It was just right. She liked it so much that she ate it all up. Then Goldilocks sat down in the chair of the great huge bear, but it was too hard for her. Then she sat down in the chair of the middle-sized bear, but it was too soft for her. And then she sat down in the chair of the little small wee bear, and this chair was neither too hard nor too soft, but just right. So Goldilocks seated herself in it, and there she sat until the bottom of the chair gave way, and down she came, plump, upon the floor. Then Goldilocks went upstairs to the bedroom in which the three bears slept. First she lay down upon the bed of the great huge bear, but that was too high at the head for her. Next she lay down upon the bed of the middle-sized bear, but that was too high at the foot for her. And then she lay down upon the bed of the little small wee bear, and that was neither too high at the head nor foot, but just right. So she covered herself up and fell fast asleep. By this time the three bears thought their porridge would be cool enough to eat, so they returned home for breakfast. Now Goldilocks had left the spoon of the great huge bear standing in his porridge. Somebody's been at my porridge, said the great huge bear in his great rough, gruff voice. And when the middle-sized bear looked at hers, she saw that the spoon was standing in it too. Somebody has been at my porridge, said the middle-sized bear in her middle voice. Then the little small wee bear looked at his bowl, and the spoon was in the porridge bowl, but the porridge was all gone. Somebody's been at my porridge and has eaten it all, said the little small wee bear in his little small wee voice. Upon this, the three bears, seeing that someone had entered their house and eaten up little small wee bear's breakfast, began to look about them. Now Goldilocks had not put the hard cushion straight when she rose from the chair of the great huge bear. Somebody's been sitting in my chair, said the great huge bear in his great rough, gruff voice. And Goldilocks had crumpled the soft cushion of the middle-sized bear. Somebody's been sitting in my chair, said the middle-sized bear in her middle voice. And you know what Goldilocks had done to the third chair. He's been sitting in my chair and has sat the bottom right out of it, said the little small wee bear in his little small wee voice. Then the bears thought it necessary that they should make a further search, so they went upstairs to their bedroom. Now Goldilocks had pulled the pillow of the great huge bear out of its place. Somebody's been lying in my bed, said the great huge bear in his great rough, gruff voice. And Goldilocks has pulled the cover of the middle-sized bear out of its place. Somebody's been lying in my bed, said the middle-sized bear in her middle voice. And then the little small wee bear came to look at his bed. There was Goldilocks sleeping peacefully, her long shiny braids spread across the pillow. Little small wee bear just stared at her for a moment and didn't say anything. But then he cried, And here she is! Goldilocks had heard in her sleep the great rough, gruff voice of the great huge bear, and the middle voice of the middle-sized bear. But it was only as if she had heard someone speaking in a dream. But when she heard the little small wee voice of the little small wee bear, it was so sharp and so shrill and so like her own that it awakened her at once. Up she started, and when she saw the three bears on one side of the bed, she tumbled herself off the other and ran to the window. Out Goldilocks jumped and ran away as fast as she could run, not looking behind her until she was very far away. And what happened to Goldilocks afterwards, no one can tell. But the three bears never saw anything more of her. What do we notice about this story? When I compare this with most stories I've read, I find this one unusual. The title is Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The girl's name comes first, which suggests she's the main character. But the first characters we meet are the bears. The last characters we're close to on the final page are the bears. And I think the characters we care about are the bears. For her part, Goldilocks is a rude girl who breaks into their house and messes with their things. At the same time, The Three Bears and Goldilocks wouldn't be as good a title. It just doesn't sound right. Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Something about that sounds right. Maybe it's because I'm used to it. In any case, I think the title is a bit of a trick. Most of the time, stories are about a main character who goes on an adventure. We could say that about Goldilocks. And this character usually learns something new. I guess Goldilocks learns not to invade other people's homes because they might turn out to be scary bears who will wake you up with a fright. But I can't imagine anyone, bear or human, being happy to have someone break into their house and make a mess. So that lesson seems not to be the most important thing about this story. Instead, it seems to me this story is deceptively simple. It's an entertaining way to teach people how to compare things. Small, medium, large. Too hard, too soft. Too hot, too cold. Too high at the head, too high at the foot. And of course, just right. The story is a lesson about English words for the people who hear it. It's turned out to be a good lesson. This story has become part of the way grown-ups compare things. For example, the planet Earth. If it was closer to the sun, it would be too hot to have life on it. If it was farther away from the sun, it would be too cold to have life on it. But the Earth's distance from the sun is just right, so the conditions for life to exist here are just right. Scientists say our planet is in the Goldilocks zone. I wonder what your Goldilocks zone would be about. What's important to you to have just right? Maybe how tight or how loose you tie your shoes. Maybe when you have eggs for breakfast, how firm or how runny the egg yolks are. Or in the winter, how hot or cold you like your hot chocolate to be. Talk about it with the nearest grown-up. I bet that'll be an interesting conversation. Thank you so much for joining me for Read Aloud with Mr. Paul. Until next time, discover the wonder in a book. Pick one up. Take a look. If you enjoyed this Read Aloud with Mr. Paul, please like, subscribe, and share this video with your friends. Thanks again!