The Three Billy Goats Gruff is a well-known story, told in many different ways. Below are three titles that are sure to please.
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
by Paul Galdone
The classic story of three goats who defeat an ugly troll to get to the green meadow across the bridge. Galdone's wonderfully expressive illustrations are oversized and bold. His goats almost leap off the pages, as does the hairy troll.
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
by Carole Bloch
illustrated by Shayle Bested
Set in Africa, these billy goats live on a veld and want to graze on the sweet grass on the koppie. They also walk on their hind legs, and wear hats, scarves, and dreadlocks. The lizard-like monster is green, fat, and wields a fork.
The Three Billygoats Gruff and Mean Calypso Joe
by Cathrene Valente Youngquist
illustrated by Kristin Sorra
The goats in this story are named Little Billygoat, Williegoat, and Captain Bill E. Goat. They live on a Caribbean island and have to contend with Calypso Joe, a mean troll with eyes as big as coconuts and flying seaweed hair. Told in lilting, Caribbean dialect, each goat has a distinctive trot and his own charming personality. As for Calypso Joe, he just needs to be taught some manners. A fun version of a good old tale.
N.B. Look for it in your local library.
Baby Island
by Carol Ryrie Brink
Brink, author of the Newbery-winning Caddie Woodlawn
is also the writer of this fanciful story. In a foreward, she mentions a time long past when it was fashionable for young girls to borrow the neighbors' babies. These girls weren't exactly babysitters; they simply liked babies, and parents were much more trusting back then.
In Baby Island, twelve-year-old Mary Wallace and her younger sister Jean, are accidentally set adrift when their ocean liner founders during a storm. With them are four babies, the children of some of the ship's passengers. Their lifeboat drifts onto a tropical island, where the girls set up camp. They pass the time rather pleasantly, with no real thought of rescue, unless you count the messages in the bottles that Jean sends out every week. They also meet another island resident, a Mr. 'Arvey Peterkin, who isn't fond of young'uns. The girls set about reforming him, and a friendship is eventually reached.
An unusual, old-fashioned, and amusing story if one can suspend disbelief. The girls encounter no real danger and have no trouble finding food and water. And the babies are pretty easy to care for. But then, this is a fantasy after all.
For girls who can't get enough of babies.
The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen
by Susin Nielsen
A terrible family tragedy forces Henry's family to move to a new city. His therapist suggests that he keep a journal. Henry resists at first, but soon starts to confide in it. The reader soon learns the horrifying truth: Jesse, Henry's older brother, shot a student at school and then killed himself. In writing that is by turns ironic, earnest, funny and deeply emotional, Henry tries to come to grips with the aftermath.
Nielsen has become an expert at portraying eccentric characters and difficult situations with humour and pathos. With Henry K. Larsen, she writes movingly of bullying, guns, and the stigma that the shooter's family must endure. Yet she doesn't forget the victim's family and what they're also going through. The story is made more tragic in having Henry be best friends with the victim's sister. After reading her letter to Henry, I had to stop reading so I could wipe away the tears.
A most deserving winner of the 2012 Governor General's Award for Children's Literature, The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen is a timely and unforgettable read.
