Santa and the Three Bears (by Dominic Catalano)

A family of bears enter the house to get warm. They eat the food, mess up the room, trash the workshop, flatten the chairs, and finally fall asleep in Santa's bed.

Mrs. Claus makes the bears help clean up and make more food. When Santa comes home, they have a party. But since there are no presents for the bears, Santa gives Papa Bear his compass, Mrs. Claus gives Mama Bear her coat, and the elves give Baby Bear their sled.

This is a pleasant story for preschoolers -- a little bland and overly cute, but enjoyable for many. The reversal on the Goldilocks story brings a grin of recognition and a feeling of cleverness to many young listeners.

The pictures, though, are uninspired. All are muted and lack energy, making it look as though they don't have adequate lighting in the Claus home. There's a surprising amount of brown for a Christmas story. Santa's workshop is especially disappointing, looking more like a dull closet on moving day than the workshop where toys for all the children of the world are made.