Porridge Please! by Laura Mucha illustrated by Marc Boutavant

STOP - do not open this book and do not share this book with your young reading companion or library group until everyone is very familiar with a couple of famous stories - Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, and Little Red Riding Hood. Okay so you know and the children know all of those. Now STOP again. Sit somewhere comfy and take your time. There are quite a few stories going on in this book - and you will miss them if you rush past. You need to notice every detail in every scene including of course the cover - although it might be better to look at the cover more closely AFTER you read this book because it does contain a serious spoiler!

Do you remember what happened in Can't you sleep little Bear? by Martin Waddell illustrated by Barbara Firth? In that story Big Bear is trying to read his book - he keeps getting to the interesting part and then he is interrupted. Baby Bear, in Porridge Please, has the same problem. He is reading his book when there is a knock on the door. It is Goldilocks and she has come back for a dish of delicious porridge. Baby Bear heads upstairs again and settles down with his book but there is another knock on the door. This time it is Little Red Riding Hood and she is also after a bowl of porridge. Baby Bear heads upstairs for the third time but oh no the little pigs are at the door. Will Baby Bear ever get back to his book? He is beyond exasperated when there is yet another knock on the door - but who is this? Is this Granny or is it ... ?

Baby Bear settles down with his book again, but something is worrying him. Are all his porridge eating guests okay downstairs?

Meanwhile another scene is unfolding on the side of the house. Do you remember the broken chair from the original story? Well Father Bear and Mother Bear, who seem to have missed hearing all that knocking on the door of their cottage, are busy repairing the sweet broken chair and to see how this begins and ends you need to linger over the end papers.

But wait - there's more! Keep your eye on the roof of the cottage. A stork has arrived - can you guess her plan? Oh and I do wonder about the title of the book that Baby Bear has been trying to read - it clearly is a fabulous story.

In case you’re wondering whether Bear ever did get to read that last page, you’ll have to get your own copy of their book to find out. One thing that is certain though is that young listeners will endorse the READ IT AGAIN! plea on the final endpapers.
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I love to eat porridge especially in winter and especially in cafes where they add delicious extras. Here is a Pinterest of other picture books about porridge. 

Laura Mucha is an author and poet for both children and adults. Her writing has won multiple international awards and been featured on TV and radio. In 2024, Laura was the runner up for the Ruth Rendell Award for the author who’s had the most significant influence on literacy in the UK over the past year. Her books include Rita's Rabbit, illustrated by Hannah Peck, Dear Ugly Sisters and Celebrate! Laura lives in London. The Italian version of this book is on the shortlist for an Italian book prize called The Andersen Prize (not related to the Hans Christian Andersen Award from IBBY). 

Here is another book by Laura Mucha:

Marc Boutavant is an award-winning graphic artist, illustrator and comic book author. He has illustrated numerous children’s books, including I Am Not an Octopus and Not An Alphabet Book: The Case of the Missing Cake, both written by Eoin McLaughlin, and Never Tickle a Tiger, written by Pamela Butchart. He is also the creator of the bestselling Around the World with Mouk, which has been adapted into a television series for Disney Junior UK. Marc lives in Paris.