"Come back!" shouts a little girl in a parka, to an ice floe that's drifting away with her dog team! And meanwhile, in another part of the Arctic wilderness, a family of polar bears leaves their igloo for a stroll. The bears wear colorful traditional Inuit clothing, nicely contrasting with the bright, snowy-white backgrounds. Jan Brett drew lots of intriguing detailed illustrations for this book, as she lovingly transformed the story of Goldilocks into "The Three Snow Bears."
The little girl's name is Aloo-ki, and she stumbles across the bears' empty igloos. But it's not until the fifth page that she determines the bears' breakfast bowls are too hot, too cold, and then "Not too hot and not too cold." She discovers some elaborately decorated fur-lined boots, after trying on two pairs which were "Too big" and "Too fancy". And soon she's sleeping in the soft pile of Inuit fur covers - the littlest one, of course - after passing over the first two as too lumpy and too soft.
Children may recognize the plot, but I think there's enough new details to keep them fascinated – besides the thrill of just seeing another lavishly illustrated book by Jan Brett. Brett was nearly 60 years old when she travelled to Northern Canada with her husband to research the local culture, according to the book's jacket, and "wonderful experiences awaited them." Visiting a school, Brett "saw the many intelligent, proud faces that became her inspiration for Aloo-ki". And she was also inspired by the "people's art" in the town of Pangnirtung , which showed Arctic animals wearing traditional Inuit clothing!
Brett had already written several other magical stories about little girls in exotic far-away locations and their experiences with local animals. But it's interesting to see how she applies her elaborate illustrations to one of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales. For example, in the margins of each page Brett always includes extra "side illustrations" showing what other characters are doing. In this book, it shows readers what's happened to her drifting team of dogs!
Ironically, it's the three bears themselves leap in the water to rescue the drifting dogs – after they've first taken off their fancy Inuit clothing! "If Aloo-ki hadn't fallen fast asleep, she might have heard her dogs barking happily," Brett writes. Instead she wakes up to find the enormous polar bears scowling down at her in their igloo. She races out of the room – "quicker than a seal" – and uses her rescued team of dogs to escape. But the book ends happily, as she hears the three bears calling out a friendly "Bye-bye!" as she rushes across the frozen ice.
It's always a treat to see a new set of Brett's illustrations - and it seems like she had some wonderful inspiration. She travelled across Frobisher Bay on a dog sled, according to the book's jacket, and "they were so glad to see us that they exploded with rascally fun and energy, their fluffy faces seeming to smile at us." The experience almost sounds like one of her own stories, and eventually she hiked up to a marker for the Arctic Circle . Ultimately "The Three Snow Bears" is more of an experience than an original story. But if you like Jan Brett's work, it's a very enjoyable one!