Leola and the Honeybears by Melodye Benson Rosales

In the children’s reading response journal, they can write about which version of the fairy tale is their favorite and give reasons why. Another thing teacher of much younger children can do is have the characters of the different stories as puppets and in the dramatic play area the children can act out the different stories using the puppets. Some activities that can be done in the classroom are again comparing different versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. In the story she used names and foods that are part of the African American culture and it allows children see other cultures in a familiar story. I loved how the author changed a familiar fairy tale and used African American characters. The illustrations of the woods were very dark and showed the yellow eyes of animals. This story had some bright airy illustrations, but they also had illustrations that could be scary to some children. They send her on her way with a basket of goodies for her and her grandma. She becomes scared of the bears but once she tells them what happened to her, they offer to help find her way. When the bears come home, they find Leola sleeping in Lil Honey’s bed and Leola wakes up. While in the home she helps herself to the tarts cooling on the table, breaks Lil Honey’s chair and then sleeps in his bed. To get away from the weasel she sees a house and enters the home to hide. Leola gets scared and begins to run further into the woods. While in the woods she meets a Weasel and he tells her that she is going to be eaten by him. Leola is mischievous and she does not listen so she does wander in the Pine Hollow Woods. She is warned by her grandma not to go into the woods.

In this story a young African American girl Leola lives with her Grandma. This is a multicultural versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Rosales lives in Champaign, Illinois with her husband and three children.Leola and the Honeybears An African American Retelling Goldilocks and the Three Bears By: Melodye Benson Rosales.

Some of them are new versions of familiar tales, such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, with African American characters. Rosales likes working on books that feature African Americans. She has also written books of her own, including a new series featuring the character Minnie Merriweather. She has created illustrations for the 'Addy' books in the popular American Girls series, and she has illustrated a collection of poems. Melodye Benson Rosales spreads her talent far and wide in the world of children's books.

Leola and the Honeybears by Melodye Benson Rosales