By Jan Brett
It's Goldilocks and the Three Bears, moved underwater off the coast of Japan, with a little mermaid in the Goldilocks role and a family of octopuses standing in for the bears.
You know Goldilocks and the Three Bears? This is that story, only everyone's underwater. A little mermaid named Kiniro comes across a house built of shells and coral, wanders in, and works through the whole Goldilocks routine: she tastes the breakfast, tries the chairs, and settles into the smallest, softest bed. The three bears are a family of octopuses here, in straw hats and indigo coats, and when they get home and find Kiniro asleep, Baby Octopus is the one who's startled. She leaves a small gift behind and slips off past all twenty-four arms. Jan Brett packs every border with reef life to linger over.
For a child deep in a mermaid phase, this hands over a mermaid and a story they already half-know, which makes it an easy one to reach for. It's also a clear look at how a familiar tale gets retold: same bones, brand-new setting. Some children get a real kick out of catching what changed. Jan Brett's underwater Okinawa is so crowded with detail that it holds up to slow, repeat looking, and she tucks hints of the next scene into the border panels, so some children start calling the page turn before it comes. The Japanese setting, the octopus family, their coats and straw hats all give it a strong sense of place.