Product Description

The three billy goats gruff are hungry for the sweet green grass on the other side of the stream. To get there, they must pass the big hairy troll who lives underneath the bridge and wants to eat them for dinner. Will the billy goats reach the safe side before the hungry troll makes them his next meal? Latest addition to "Barefoot" storybook with CD range joining "The Gigantic Turnip" (978-1-90523-672-5) and "Jack and the Beanstalk: (978-1-90523-642-8), this title is now available with a story CD beautifully packaged with French folds.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #144456 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Finch (The Little Red Hen and the Ear of Wheat) and Arenson (One, Two, Skip a Few!) play up this familiar tale's lean but highly satisfying narrative trajectory. With the immediacy and economy of a skilled storyteller, Finch includes just enough sound effects and role-playing opportunities to bring the action to life without weighing down its progress. The troll, for instance, croons a catchy ditty: "I'm a troll, from a deep dark hole,/ My belly's getting thinner,/ I need to eat and goat's a treat / So I'll have you for my dinner." Arenson embellishes her vibrant full-spread collages with stenciling and flourishes, but there's an admirable sense of restraint at work here, in perfect harmony with Finch's voice. With their blocky bodies, bright, mischievous eyes and stylish coats of yellow, pink or aqua, the goats make for a trio of spunky heroes. Their nemesis is impressively grimy, thanks to Arenson's use of fibery brown papers, but he also sports fetching purple toenails. The artist crops her collages to underscore the drama: one scene is composed like an overhead shot, looking down on the littlest goat crossing the bridge as the troll menaces him from underneath. These appealing billy goats put up with no guff. Ages 6-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Roberts' adaptation of the Asbjornsen and Moe story is artfully told in rich poetic language that will fairly roll off a nimble tongue. Youngsters will revel in reading or listening to such phrases as "verdant victuals" and "a nose like an old acorn squash." A slobbering troll speaks in verse, and with a refrain such as, "Billy goat for breakfast! Billy goat for lunch! Billy goat, billy goat, munch munch munch," the traditional "trip, trap, trip" will never be missed. Jorgensen's surprisingly soft illustrations take their texture from the paper on which they are executed and derive their impact from a creative use of perspective rather than bold line and color; his troll will find fans among monster-loving preschoolers, and this gruesome guy is the perfect foil to a trio of rather wistful-looking but nonetheless clever goats. Holly Hunter's virtuoso reading, accompanied by Art Lande's inventive score, completes this wonderful package. Yet another gem! --Jeanne Marie Clancy, Upper Merion Township Library, King of Prussia, PA
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 3-6. Set in a "lovely green valley nestled high in the [Rocky] mountains," this version of a familar story has a decidedly American locale and includes some nice touches--from the troll's "growly, scowly voice" to the "extremely deep, and extremely cold river, where the troll sank like a stone and was never heard from again." The watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations are clear and distinct enough to make the book useful for reading aloud to small groups, and the slightly subdued palette emphasizes the verdant green of the grassy pastures, which are, after all, the heart of the tale. This should be a popular retelling, even in libraries already having several different versions on the shelf. Janice Del Negro

Customer Reviews

When My mother Read it to us
I chose The Threee Billy Goats Gruff by Stephen Carpenter because it was my Mom's favorite story book growing up. The day I brought it home she sat down and read it to me and my sister. My favorite characters are the three billy goats because there funny and can play tricks on the troll. The troll was foolish to let the small and middle size billy goats go across the bridge, and then have to fight with the big billy goat. He ended up falling off the bridge and all three billy goats enjoyed the grass on the other side of the bridge. Now they will be able to come and go whenever they want. There is a lesson to be learned in this book. Don't let someone influence you by saying that something is bigger and better if you wait for awhile. Overall the book is alot of fun to read. I would definitely share this story with my children.

The Stephen Carpenter version is outstanding for little ones
Many of the reviews listed here are for other versions of this story. I have checked out all seven versions of Three Billy Goats Grufff available from our library just to see which was best for a three year old. This one by Stephen Carpenter has large, clever, uncluttered pictures and tells the story in simple language. The troll is not too scary and, all in all, this one seems just right for little ones. Another version, the elaborately illustrated one by Janet Stevens, uses a colorful, imaginative vocabulary and would have more appeal to adults and older children (5 or 6 and up?).

A great bed time book.
Our little grandson (3) loves this book. We could read it to him multiple times per day. His other grandmother, said it was her favorite book when she was little. A must buy!