Stephen Carpenter (1)

An excellent retelling of this classic folk tale. The illustrations provided by Stephen Carpenter are both colorful and wonderfully executed. Comedy and character are used to great effect in the images and the book is wonderful for reading out loud.

This is one of those texts that, as an English major, I think about from time to time in different ways. I imagine a close examination of this work in the fashion of the book Grendel by John Gardner and how perhaps it is the troll who is victim of show more the goats rather than a simple, two-dimensional villain. However, in the more traditional and child-appropriate reading this is an excellent book for young readers as it encourages using cunning and courage to face a bully. The illustrations by Carpenter are just delightful and I always enjoy reading this book to my son at bedtime. show less

In this book, the moral of the story is that good defeats evil. I enjoyed reading this book because it is a short story that incorporates the different elements of a story. There are different characters, a problem, a climax, and a solution. I loved how the Billy Goats crossed the bridge from youngest to oldest. When the younger one tried to cross the bridge with the troll, the Little Billy Goat Gruff said to eat his brother who is bigger than him. However, when the middle goat came, he said show more to eat the older goat. When the older goat came, he showed the troll that he had strength and courage. I loved the illustrations in this book as well. For the troll, the book drew him all hairy and dirty with flies surrounding him. For the goats, the illustrations really showed their emotions. When they crossed the bridge, their expression was scared but curious. When they made it across the bridge to the grass, their expression was happy and appreciative. show less

Classic retelling of the story of the three billy goats gruff. The three goats want to cross a bridge, but there is a troll living under it. They try to outsmart the troll by first having the smallest goat go across. When the troll tries to eat him, the goat suggest that he wait for the next goat who is bigger than he is. So the troll waits. The second goat goes across and the troll wants to eat him too. The goat suggests that he waits for the next goat who is bigger still. So the troll show more waits. The last goat comes and the troll wants to eat him but the goat head butts him off the bridge.
I loved this book. It is one of the best retellings of the story. I like the pictures. The goats are so cute!
After reading this book to a classroom I might ask them what lessons they learned from it. They might not get it at first, so then I, the witty teacher, might suggest that perhaps it is to not wait for other opportunities, but to take the one present at the time. (As in, the troll should have just ate the baby goat. Granted, it would have ruined the story, but in real life that is what he should have done.) Or when you are reading the story you could involve some interaction from the students, like asking them to do the "trip trap trip trap" out loud when the goats cross the bridge. show less

classic fairy tale about three goats who outsmart a fearsome troll to reach a lush, green meadow. With its simple, repetitive structure and themes of bravery and teamwork, this timeless story is both engaging and fun for young readers.