Denslow's Three Bears

William Wallace Denslow, who lived from 1856 to 1915, was an American illustrator and author. He is perhaps best known for his pictures for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which appeared in 1900, but he also produced a number of picture books of his own. Denslow’s Three Bears dates from 1903 and is a version of the classic tale in which the heroine is called Golden Hair.

The story departs from the familiar tale in one important respect. Instead of chasing the girl from their house, the jolly bears come to live with her at her grandmother’s house. This turns a story of intrusion into one of friendship, and it gives the book its cheerful, rather whimsical tone. The text is short and written in a simple style that suits very young children.

The recording lasts only a few minutes and consists of a single reading. It can be enjoyed on its own, or alongside a facsimile edition of the original book from the Library of Congress, available through the International Children’s Digital Library, which allows young readers to follow the pictures as the words are spoken.

A LibriVox volunteer made the recording as a free gift to listeners. It is a good choice for the very youngest, for early readers who like to follow along, and for anyone interested in how a well-known tale can be told differently. It also provides a small glimpse of the picture-book art of the early twentieth century, when illustrators such as Denslow were helping to shape what children’s books looked like.