Fairy Tales for Mr. Barker a Peek-Through Story

Reviewed by: Barbara Merritt - Scarborough School Department, Scarborough, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 2, 2015

Review

The story opens with Lucy reading to her dog, Mr. Barker in her fairy tale themed bedroom. Mr. Barker gets bored, so he jumps through a cutout window. Lucy follows him into the Three Little Bears House where Goldilocks is enjoying a bowl of porridge. Lucy warns her that the bears are coming and tells her to come along. They leave through a cutout door, ending up in the Three Little Pigs straw straw house. They go along through more fairy tales, collecting more familiar characters until they all end up safely in Lucy's bedroom. At each stop, Lucy asks "Where are we?" Children's knowledge of the tales represented will enhance their enjoyment of the story. Pages are very thick paper. Visual humor abounds, making the illustrations great fun. At the Three Bears' House, burner knobs are marked "too hot" and "too cold" and a wall plaque reads "Home is Where the Porridge Is." A fun read that young children will enjoy.

Overall Book Score: good