Moldylocks and the Three Beards (Princess Pink and the Land of Fake-Believe Series #1)

by Noah Z. Jones

Overview

Noah Z. Jones turns well-known fairy tales upside-down in this humorous new series!

This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line called Branches, which is aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!

In the Land of Fake Believe, Princess meets a strange girl named Moldylocks. When Princess's stomach grumbles, Moldylocks takes her to the home of the Three Beards. The girls sit in the Beards' chairs, eat their chili, and jump on their beds. The Three Beards are not happy when they get home--and they are very, very hungry! Will Moldylocks and Princess go into the chili pot? With easy-to-read text and engaging full-color artwork throughout, kids will be drawn right into this very funny land of fractured fairy tales!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545638401
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	04/29/2014
Series:	Brethren Writers Library #21 , #1
Pages:	80
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Noah Z. Jones is an author, illustrator, and animator who creates all sorts of zany and memorable characters. He has illustrated numerous books for children, including ALWAYS IN TROUBLE, NOT NORMAN, and THOSE SHOES. He is also the author and illustrator of PRINCESS PINK AND THE LAND OF FAKE BELIEVE, an early chapter book series. To see more of his work, swing by his website, www.noahzjones.com.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for ALWAYS IN TROUBLE:
"Jones's simple but amusing cartoon-style illustrations add up to a solid offering in the naughty-dog division." -KIRKUS REVIEWS

"Whimsical cartoon illustrations make Toby's troublesome and dangerous behavior seem humorous and lighthearted, in the same spirit that misbehaving is handled in such stories as David Shannon's No, David! (1998). Children will delight in Toby's antics." -BOOKLIST

From the Publisher

Princess Pink is not a princess at all. She does not care for pink or princesses. Instead, she likes things like dirt-covered sneakers, mud puddles, and adventures. During the night, she goes to the kitchen to find something to eat. Through a portal in the refrigerator, Princess enters the Land of Fake-Believe where she meets Moldylocks, a gal whose clothes are spotted in swampy green. Moldylocks takes Princess to the home of the three beards for a bowl of chili. The mixed up adventure takes off in a fracture folk tale way. The two girls try out the chairs, chili, and beds. The beards chase the twosome and capture Moldylocks. It is up to Princess to save her friend. The illustrations are bright and bold like comics. The conversations between characters and comments by the characters are in speech bubbles. The chapters are short in length for early chapter book readers. Children who love a twist to familiar stories will probably enjoy this first story from the “Princess Pink and the land of Fake-Believe” series. Reviewer: Carrie Hane Hung; Ages 7 to 9.

Children's Literature - Carrie Hane Hung

★ 2014-02-26
Jones takes "The Three Bears" for a dizzy spin in this laff-riot series opener. Searching for a midnight snack, Princess (first name) Pink (last name) falls through a portal in her refrigerator. On the other side, she meets friendly Mother Moose (a bull moose), then follows green-haired Moldylocks to check out the chairs, bowls and beds of the Wookiee-like Three Beards. Later, having previously hacked an unwanted, pink, fairy-princess dress into a "Cowboy Caveman" outfit suitable for disguising herself as a fourth Beard, she intrepidly returns to save her new friend from being boiled in a vat of chili. Being cast against both genre type and publishers' convention, Princess likes "dirty sneakers, giant bugs, mud puddles, monster trucks, and cheesy pizza" far more than fairies, princesses or anything pink, and she also (for a wonder) has dark skin in the cartoon illustrations. The text is distributed in easily digestible blocks and dialogue balloons among simply drawn scenes of popeyed figures rushing hither and yon. Parents worried about this nonstop romp's literary value will surely be appeased by the page of review and discussion questions at the end. Fledgling readers will agree with Princess' bemused comment: "This Land of Fake-Believe is crazy-cakes!" (Fantasy. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews