ANNOTATION

The three billy goats outsmart the hungry troll who lives under the bridge.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In the lyric colors of a Norwegian spring, Marcia Brown, the Caldecott Medal - winning artist, brings to life the exciting folktale about the three billy goats and the wicked old troll. Generations of children have claimed this as a favorite story, and it is presented here in a perfect harmony of pictures and text.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Rounds's pedestrian retelling of the familiar Norwegian folk tale about the billy goats who trick a mean troll lacks the verve and vitality that has made the story a favorite of kids around the world. Reminiscent of children's crayon drawings, the illustrations--set against ample white backgrounds--feature a yellow sun outlined with black rays that hangs in a blue pencilled sky, and a scraggly hillside where ``the grass is so tall and green and tender.'' The eponymous animals, however, seem neither brave nor clever, and the troll hardly surly enough to make the story work. There is almost no character differentiation between the smallest goat, who goes trip-trapping across the troll's bridge and the biggest Billy Goat Gruff, who butts the troll from the bridge. Nor do the frequent use of exclamation points, changes in font size and capital letters compensate for the lack of either storytelling voice or drama in the straightforward text. This tale is better served by previously published renderings, such as the standard Paul Galdone version. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3-- A kinetic retelling of a beloved tale. Using no-nonsense language and his trademark minimalist drawings, Rounds strips the story down to the bare essentials, recapturing its time-tested appeal. With hairy, scratchy-looking skin, a huge wart on a pickle-shaped nose, bloodied extremities, and poor posture, the Troll makes the perfect bad guy. Splatters of brown-gray charcoal color float around the outline of his body, giving him an offensive aura. When the biggest Billy Goat Gruff appears on the scene, a face-forward drawing featuring a bristly goatee beard, ornery eyes, and a set of broad shoulders lets everyone know that this is not some cud-chewer. A dramatic double-page spread, filled with movement and emotion, captures the conflict as the two foes charge one another. After the goat butts his enemy with ``hard horns'' and tramples him with ``sharp hooves,'' another striking illustration shows the troll's grasping hands as he slips below the bridge. Readers are left with the reassuring image of the three goats grazing peacefully on a hillside. While carefully preserving the essence of the Norwegian tale, Rounds freshens it up with his unique perspective and style. Make room for this one next to the classic versions by Paul Galdone (Houghton, 1979) and Marcia Brown (Harcourt, 1957). --Joy Fleishhacker, New York Public Library

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3--Through bold strokes and fine lines, Rounds creates three goats to be reckoned with and a troll who exudes nastiness. A bare-bones retelling of an old tale that will never be "told out." (June 1993)