The red cloak--clad child at the Three Bears' door isn't the usual suspect: it's Little Red, escaped from "the book next door" to ask for help. Narrator Baby Bear persuades his folks to let her stay ("Not sure if that's how the story goes, they said, but... Ok"), and Red proceeds to make herself at home--devouring her young host's porridge and breaking the smallest chair--just like a certain other protagonist. When the wolf from Little Red's tale appears and sends everyone fleeing to a book occupied by the Three Little Pigs, Baby Bear discovers that the villain is ready to reform ("Nobody likes to have wolves in their books," the wolf sobs) and successfully forges a détente between the wolf and Red, sending them back to their own story with a recipe for porridge. This is not one of those meta-mash-up fairy tales that traffics in big nudges and broad visuals: Rueda's (Bunny Overboard) understated, matter-of-fact text is set in filigreed frames to evoke the classic fairy tale volume, while her ovoid characters' shenanigans are rendered in spare, delicately textured colored pencil drawings, making for a first-rate addition to the genre. Ages 3--8. (Nov.)

The Three Bears are sitting down to porridge when Little Red from "the book next door" knocks asking for help because she thinks the Big Bad Wolf wants to eat her. Narrator Baby Bear convinces Mama and Papa to let Little Red stay ("Not sure if that's how the story goes, they said, but...Ok"), and then the Goldilocks tale begins to play out. When the Wolf arrives, the bears and Little Red run to "another book" (one about three pigs). But the Wolf is just sad because no one wants him in their book, and a little kindness and understanding -- and three bowls of porridge -- help set everything right. Well, almost, since the bears then don't answer the door when Goldilocks herself arrives. The story's humor relies on readers' familiarity with the original tales in order to relish the ways they overlap here. That Baby Bear breaks the fourth wall by turning a page to see the Wolf visually reinforces the metafictive text: these characters realize they're in stories, but they recognize that characters and stories can change. Rueda (Huff Puff, rev. 5/12) also embraces the art of storytelling with ornamentation on other-wise all-text pages reminiscent of early illustrated books. Her textured colored-pencil pictures featuring friendly, rotund characters in spare but warm surroundings lend an air of coziness to this clever tale. A handwritten scrap of paper containing "Mama's Porridge secret recipe" appears on the back endpapers for any hungry little (wolf) readers out there. Cynthia K. Ritter January/February 2022 p.98(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Just as Mama Bear serves the porridge, someone knocks on the door. Little Red "from the book next door," afraid of the Big Bad Wolf in her own story, asks for help. Papa and Mama Bear give her shelter. After Little Red eats all the porridge, breaks Little Bear's chair, and goes to sleep in his bed, he can't get to sleep. When he spies the wolf and yells, they run next door to the Three Little Pigs' book. Returning home later, they find the lonely wolf in tears. They feed him, introduce him to Little Red, and send them away smiling. And later, when a girl with golden curls knocks, they simply lock the door. Soft, overlapping strokes of colored pencils define the rounded forms of the characters, the curving shapes of their surroundings, and the delicate drawings framing the text. From the tone of the text to the look of the art, there's a gentle quality to this pastiche that gives it considerable child-appeal. An amusing choice for kids who know their nursery tales.

Three bears host an unexpected visitor with surprising results. "Mama was serving porridge," recounts the youngest of the three bears about the arrival of a stranger at the door. The small but stout figure, covered head to knees in a bright red hoodie, is "Little Red from the book next door." Little Red explains that there's a wolf, "and he wants to eat me." Though Papa and Mama are dubious about letting her stay ("Not sure that's how the story goes," they muse), Little Red consumes a bowl of porridge, recounts her tale, and spends the night. But when the wolf shows up, all four flee to a different neighboring book, where three pigs look alarmed. Poor Wolf. It's not a choice role, being the Big Bad Wolf, and tears ensue. The empathetic narrator produces a few bowls of just-right porridge (recipe included) to soothe Wolf's feelings. Rueda's bears are large, light-brown furred, and rounded with bemused expressions. Little Red has white skin, and the wolf has light-brown fur and a friendly, canine look. Rueda's punchy, economical narrative and the clear typeface put this within reach of new readers. The gentle twist and metafictive conceit will serve as a conversation starter and may inspire other sendups and blendings of nursery plotlines and characters. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An amusing and lighthearted introduction to metafiction. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

PreS-Gr 2--Classic fairy tales collide in this self-aware spin on "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." Seeking an escape from the Big Bad Wolf, Red Riding Hood exits her own book and knocks on the door of The Three Bears, who reluctantly give her refuge. Porridge is eaten, chairs are broken, and beds are slept in--when suddenly the Wolf arrives and the characters scurry over to the next book, invading The Three Little Pigs' home. It turns out the Big Bad Wolf isn't so bad after all, and with an act of kindness from Little Bear, the book ends happily. Softly rounded pencil illustrations catch the eye with luminous blends of colors and delicate lines, while attractive typesetting and decorative borders lend a storybook aesthetic to the pages. The uncomplicated prose makes for an appealing read-aloud, and positive themes of empathy and understanding will resonate with audiences of all ages. VERDICT A pleasing addition to large picture book collections, especially where fairy tales are popular.--Allison Tran, Mission Viejo Lib., CA