Seven Ways to Trick a Troll (University of Minnesota Press)

University of Minnesota Press has done a first-rate job of bringing Norse mythology and tales to the next generation of readers. From re-publishing d’Aulaires’ Book of Norwegian Folktales to giving us unique works from troll expert Lise Lunge-Larsen, it has truly been an epic journey. Today, I would like to share with you their latest offering entitled Seven Ways to Trick a Troll. The book is divided into the following seven tales:

1. Little Goose
2. The Ashlad Who Stole the Troll's Treasures
3. The Hen is Tripping in the Mountain
4. The Boys Who Met Trolls in the Woods
5. A Narrow Escape
6. The Troll Who Played Hide-and-Go-Seek
7. Tor Out-Skis the Trolls

The book begins with a introductory tale that tells the origin of trolls from an "enormous frost giant named Ymir." These ancient trolls, which came from between his toes originally had six heads and six arms each, but eventually trolls started coming in varied shapes and sizes. It also tells us that their brains are the size of walnuts, so anyone, even a child, could trick a troll if they knew how. This leads us to the seven tales mentioned above and details the seven different weaknesses of a troll and how you can defeat them.

I won't tell you about all of them, but just give a brief summary of the first story. In Little Goose, a mischievous little girl goes up a mountain one day to pick berries. She eats too many and falls asleep in a cave, where a troll also happens to be. He thinks she is a goose though (something this troll does not eat), and he strikes up a conversation with Little Goose. It is here that she tricks him and discovers what he hates most of all is loud noises, especially bells and whistles. The next day she goes home and tells this to her entire town. They use this information to scare him away and build a bell tower to keep him away. Thus, we learn the first weakness of a troll is they hate loud noises. What are the other six weaknesses? You'll have to buy the book and find out! The book closes with ways to spot now extinct trolls in the different landscapes of woods, mountains, or even by large bodies of water. This is an excellent and engaging book that is beautifully illustrated. I'm not sure who loved the stories more, my son or me as I was reading them to him!

This book was provided to me by University of Minnesota Press in exchange for an honest review.

Sasha and the Dragon (Ancient Faith Publishing)

Being a kid can be both scary and lonely at times. What makes those feelings even worse is when you are the new kid in town. That is exactly how Sasha felt in the latest children's book from Ancient Faith Publishing entitled Sasha and the Dragon. The book is written by Laura E. Wolfe and illustrated by Nicholas Malara.

On the outside, you would think that Sasha is a boy like any other. In reality, he is a Russian born immigrant in a strange, new country called America. The children in his neighborhood laugh at him and his accent; his grandmother, whom he loves, is dying, and there is a dragon under his bed. Yes you read that right...a DRAGON under his bed. Being an intelligent boy, he deduces that there are dragons in America, because this was a young country that didn't have a rich history of saints, signs, and prayers. One night laying in bed, the dragon appears, and Sasha (rightfully so) is afraid. He has a choice to make. Does he hide under the covers for another night, or muster up what little courage he has and face the dragon? Sasha chooses the latter, but knows he can't face the dragon alone. He implores the aid of St. Michael and the icon in his room comes to life! St. Michael slayed the dragon, and the next morning Sasha discovered a golden angel feather on his floor. The events and this feather gave the boy courage and hope to face this new land. He reached out to the neighborhood children to try and befriend them and also tried to be closer with his grandmother to provide her comfort and companionship as well.

Sasha and the Dragon is more than just a story of overcoming your fears. It is a lesson in faith in God, the power of prayer, and saintly intercession. Overall, I found the story to be very well-written with the only neutral point being that the resolution felt a little rushed. I felt it could have used one more page/night of turmoil before he got up his nerve to face the dragon. The illustration style was very vivid and popped off the page. I remember children's books from when I was a kid, and these illustrations were nothing like the books I read. I would call it high definition pictures as opposed to the old analog books I read when I was younger. The light and dark were captured wonderfully and complemented the story without overpowering it. Highly recommend this book for your young children.

This book was provided to me for free by Ancient Faith Publishing in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase this book directly from Ancient Faith Publishing or on Amazon.

The Complete Polly and the Wolf (New York Review of Books)

Due to their voracious appetite, wolves have a nasty reputation in children's stories. Three such examples are Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, and Peter and the Wolf. Recently, I was introduced to a new set of stories that followed these same plot device of hungry wolf and innocent character trying not to be eaten. It is entitled The Complete Polly and the Wolf. Allow me to tell you a little bit about it.

The Complete Polly and the Wolf is a collection of four volumes of stories - Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf, Polly and the Wolf Again, Tales of Polly and the Hungry Wolf, and Last Stories of Polly and the Wolf. The volumes were written by Dr. Catherine Storr and were originally written for her daughter who was always afraid of a wolf under her bed. There are 36 stories total in this collection, each no more than a few pages. Like most wolf stories, the wolf is the villain only thinking about his appetite and trying to eat the child Unlike most wolf stories, the wolf and the would-be victim have a running dialogue. The Wolf and Polly discuss why he wants to eat her, how he plans to catch her, and why he never succeeds. The stories start out with her very young and progress in complexity as she grows older. The game borrows from fairy tales occasionally, as the Wolf reads a lot of books, so he is trying to draw on what he has read to eventually catch her and eat her. The closing story involves the Wolf being captured and Polly coming to his aid. She defends him so that the people will not kill him, but he ends up tricking her (for once) and escaping. The stories are cute and fun and a nice twist on the traditional wolf stories. I read them to my son at night and he thinks they are both funny and silly.

This book was provided to me for free by New York Review of Books in exchange for an honest review.

Peter Pan and Wendy (Sterling Illustrated Classics)

My wife and I both grew up watching Disney films. We each have our own likes and dislikes, but one that we both enjoyed and would watch anytime is Peter Pan. When I heard that Sterling Illustrated Classics was printing Peter Pan and Wendy, I knew I had to own this book. The book begins with a foreword by David Barrie, J.M. Barrie' great-great nephew. This was a brief two pages, but was very interesting. The rights to Peter Pan were left to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (in perpetuity) so that the hospital might always thrive due to this work's popularity.

The story itself begins with background on the Darling family. We learn about how Mr. Darling got Mrs. Darling to marry him, the birth of the three children, and how finances were tight with that many mouths to feed. It is also where we are introduced to the notion of Peter Pan and Neverland. Chapter Two is the famous shadow scene, where the faithful dog Nana sees Peter Pan flying about and tries to catch him, but only manages to nab his shadow! The rest of the story is very familiar, as we see mermaids, Lost Boys, pirates, Captain Hook, and Tinker Bell too! The book ends with Wendy growing up and having a daughter who goes off to Neverland. She too will have a daughter, and that daughter will have a daughter, and the cycle will continue indefinitely.

This is a quality printed, hardcover book with a dust jacket. What makes it stand out from other editions of this book is the beautiful illustrations. I have never felt anyone has done a sufficient job of capturing the true child-like nature of Peter's character, but these illustrations of him are some of the best I have seen. If you are any kind of fan of Peter Pan, you need this book in your collection. I know I will treasure this copy for years to come!

Our Lady's Message (Sophia Institute Press)

Sophia Institute Press is historically known for printing quality Catholic books for adults with occasional titles for children. Today, I would like to focus on one of their recent children's books, Our Lady's Message, which celebrates the 100th anniversary of the apparition of Fatima. The books is for children with a minimum age of 7, but written in such a way that there is no maximum age that it would appeal to. The author is well-known, Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle and illustrated by Ann Engelhart, who illustrated other beautiful Catholic children's books.

The book tells about the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima in a storybook format, making the message approachable and not a dry, historical summary. Each chapter then ends with a reflection or "something to think about" section, which pulls back on some key event in the chapter and asks you to apply it to your daily life. The book begins by giving a brief background on the three shepherd children, and then leads into the message of the Angel of Peace. We then see the visits from the Virgin Mary; the three secrets of Fatima; the children being put in jail; and my personal favorite, the Miracle of the Dancing Sun. The book could have ended there, and it would have been a fine children's book, but O'Boyle doesn't shy away from the story and tells of the deaths of Francisco and Jacinta and the further life and ministry of Lucia, who went on to become a religious sister. The book has a nice flow to it, and the illustrations sprinkled throughout which add to the story without dominating the words. What I really appreciated though was the appendices, which give your children prayers associated with Fatima and a guide on how to pray the Rosary.

This book was provided to me for free by Sophia Institute Press in exchange for an honest review.

Mary and the Little Shepherds of Fatima

Mary and the Little Shepherds of Fatima is a hardcover children's book from Pauline Books and Media. The book tells the story of the three shepherd children Francisco, Jacinta, and Lucia. Every day, they went out to tend the sheep and while they were doing so, they always prayed the Rosary. One day an angel appeared to them and encouraged the children to pray often, because Jesus and Mary are listening. Later, the angel returned to them and encouraged them to make sacrifices. Then, Our Lady appeared to them. She tried to encourage them not to tell anyone, but of course word got out. Each time they went to see Mary more people joined them, but could not see who and what the children saw. The corrupt mayor of their town tried to put them in jail to quiet them down and scare them but eventually released them. Then, one day when the children went to see Mary and more people joined them there was finally a physical sign for all the people. The sun danced that day, and everyone present witnessed the miracle.

This book does a wonderful job of introducing your children to Our Lady of Fatima and her story. At the end of the book, there is a section on how to pray the Rosary, different prayers of Fatima, and section for adults, which provides more of the context and history of this apparition. The artwork is also very warm and vibrant and will keep your children engaged the whole time they are reading the book or having it read to them. Highly recommended.

This book was provided to me for free by Pauline Books and Media in exchange for an honest review.

Oedipus: Trapped by Destiny (TOON Books)

Most people are familiar with the term Oedipus complex and the basics of what it entails. However, if you asked people to explain where the term came from, I would wager that few could tell you much about its origins in Greek mythology. TOON Books recently released Oedipus: Trapped by Destiny. This is the third book in their Graphic Mythologies series with the first two being Theseus and the Minotaur and Orpheus in the Underworld.

Oedipus: Trapped by Destiny begins with King Laius and Queen Jocasta finding out they are pregnant. In order to find out if the child was going to be a boy, he visited the Temple of Apollo. The oracle there told him that the child would be male (Oedipus), but that the child would grow up and kill his father and marry his mother. Devastated by this news, they gave the child to their servant to leave in the wilderness to die. Oedipus was saved and grew up as royalty in Corinth. As he grew up, he had doubts about who his real parents were, so he too went to the Temple of Apollo and heard the same prophecy that King Laius had heard. Oedipus was scared of this prophecy and tried to run away from it. However, in running from his fate, he ultimately ran toward it and fulfilled what the oracle had said. This led to the death of his father, eventual death of his mother, and blinding of himself.

This is another brilliant book from Yvan Pommaux. The story is spot on in accuracy, but censors where necessary. Primarily, it doesn't explicitly show Oedipus gouging his eyes out. The graphic novel format is also very engaging as it enhances the story without distracting from it. Though the book is rated for ages 8+, given the content I would put it more age 12+. If you enjoy Greek mythology and want to introduce it to your children, I highly recommend the three from TOON Books and hope that they continue to publish more of these.

This book was provided to me for free by TOON Books in exchange for an honest review.

Alamo All-Stars (Abrams Books)

Alamo All-Stars is the sixth book in Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series. The book begins very abruptly with talk of settling Texas. This is a departure from their usual lead-in of Nathan Hale, trying to stay his execution by telling a historical tale. However, it leads us to an introduction of Vicente Guerrero, who like Nathan Hale, is telling historical tales to try and stay his execution. This leads us to a mashup story, told from the side of the United States and Mexico.

Within this book, we see characters like General Santa Anna, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and Stephen Austin. We also learn about the history of Texas' statehood and of course, the famous Battle of the Alamo. The story is really helped by the addition of Guerrero into this tale and helps adds perspective from both sides, which is something that is generally lacking in American History textbooks. On the inside of the book, we are presented with two maps. The first map is a layout out of the Alamo in 1836, which makes the stand all the more impressive. The second map is a military map that shows us all the battles fought in the Texas Revolution. At the end of the book are actual images of historical figures in this book and other resources, your child can read to learn more about this historic event.

Like the rest of the books in this series, this book is a graphic novel in format. The illustration style is inviting, and I believe young boys in particular will really get a lot out of this series. The book does a nice job of mixing humor into the history to make it more compelling and come alive off the page. I cannot recommend this series enough.

This book was provided to me for free by Abrams Books in exchange for an honest review.

Page-A-Day Children's Bible (Pauline Books and Media)

The Page-A-Day Children's Bible is one of the latest releases from Pauline Books and Media. It is approximately 400 pages long, is flexibound, and was written by Rhona Davies with illustrations by Marcin Piwowarski. It is specifically aimed at children ages 8-10, but depending on the child's reading level, earlier than that can appreciate it. As suggested by the title, there are 365 readings in this Bible. (Sorry Leap Year!) The first 240 chapters are from the Old Testament and the remaining 125 chapters are from the New Testament. Each chapter is approximately one page long. The pages are not full text though. They have some small soft illustrations to help keep your child's attention without distracting them from the message.

The first thing that I thought of when I received this book was that it's like an adult version of a daily devotional. Even seasoned readers, struggle with reading the Bible if they don't have a specific plan of attack. By setting up a daily schedule, and not making it too difficult to follow, children can read their daily bit of Bible when they wake up, before they go to bed, or on the way to school. The stories provide the right amount of wisdom and detail without speaking down to the children, and since they can read it on their own, they feel a sense of independence. My son is a bit below the recommended reading level, but we have been reading to him from this Bible every night before he goes to bed. We aren't going through it in order, but trying to pick out ones that we feel will catch his attention. You can never start too early when teaching your children a love for the Bible.

What I like best about this Bible is that with each chapter heading, the Scripture reference is also noted. This is especially helpful, if you want to read the same Bible section your child is, so that y'all can discuss it or maybe they'll want to hear the full passage if a particular story jumps out at them. I must confess. I haven't read through all of this Bible yet, but browsing through the chapters I did not see any stories from the deuterocanonical books (Sorry people, but we shouldn't refer to them as the apocrypha.), i.e., Baruch, Wisdom, etc. Knowing this, you could get this Bible for children who are Protestant or Orthodox. However, if you just buy it for Catholics, then this is the perfect gift for First Communion. I highly recommend this Bible for children ages 8 to 10, and I think it belongs in every house, classroom, or Sunday School if you have children in that range.

This book was provided to me for free by Pauline Books and Media in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

Aesop's Fables (Race Point Publishing)

Aesop's Fables are some of the best known stories in mankind's history. They have been told and re-told in many different media with one of the most famous examples being Looney Tunes. Some of the better know Fables include The Fox and the Grapes, The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, and The Hare and the Tortoise. Not all the fables come with lessons at the end, but you can pretty much infer the meaning of the story on its own. Race Point Publishing recently released a hardcover version of Aesop's Fables.

Pros
The book is complete in that it has all 284 fables included in it.
It is beautifully illustrated by Milo Winter and contains 70+ illustrations in it.

Cons
There is no Table of Contents, merely an alphabetical list of fables at the end of the book.
The pages are a little bit thin so the words and illustrations bleed through when reading it.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about it. The book is sturdy and beautiful on a shelf, but it will gather dust quickly, and unfortunately, it has the kind of cover that will catch the dust. It is complete in nature though, whereas a lot of books abridge the fables or only print the popular ones. I would give the book 3.5 out of 5 stars. It is good, but it could have been better.

This book was provided to me for free by Race Point Publishing in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

Finding Winnie (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Finding Winnie tells the true story of the bear that inspired Winnie the Pooh. The book begins with a little boy named Cole asking his mother to tell him a story. The story begins by telling of a veterinarian in Winnipeg named Harry Coleburn. One day, Harry had to give up being a local veterinarian and went to care for the soldiers' horses in World War I. When he disembarked from his train with the other soldiers, he saw a trapper with a bear cub. He knew he shouldn't, but Coleburn bought the bear from that man. His colonel was at first opposed to it for safety reasons, but warmed up fairly quickly to the bear. Coleburn named the bear Winnipeg. It was later shortened to Winnie. Eventually, Coleburn was going to be shipped to the front line of the war, so he had to give Winnie to the zoo. This was the end of Coleburn's story, but it let to another story. The story of A.A. Milne and his son, the real Christopher Robin.

This is very touching book that contains a very soft illustration style. Cole, the child in the book, interrupts his mom's story from time-to-time, and it reminds one a bit of A.A. Milne's writing style. At the end of the book are actual pictures of Coleburn, Winnie, and Christopher Robin. There is also a family tree, which reveals that Cole is the great great-grandson of Harry Coleburn. This ties the whole story together and puts a neat little bow on it. If you are a fan of Winnie the Pooh, and really who isn't, you'll want to check out this book.

This book was provided to me for free by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

Into the Sea, Out of the Tomb (Emmaus Road Publishing)

Into the Sea, Out of the Tomb is the second book in the series of Biblical typology children's books from Emmaus Road Publishing. Both the author (Maura Roan McKeegan) and illustrator (Ted Schluenderfritz) remained the same. The first book in this series was entitled The End of the Fiery Sword. And for those who don't recall my last review, Biblical typology is a kind of symbolism where something in the Old Testament prefigures something in the New Testament. Into the Sea, Out of the Tomb focuses on the figures of Jonah and Jesus.

The book focuses mainly on the differences between Jonah and Jesus. Jonah and Jesus both had missions to save different cities, Nineveh and Jerusalem, respectively. Jonah ran from his mission and tried to avoid it, but Jesus willingly accepted his mission. Both were on a boat one day when a storm was raging. The people on Jonah's boat were in danger of dying, but the people on Jesus' boat were never in any danger. The main parallel, however, involves Jonah being "buried" at sea by having a whale swallow him and Jesus being buried in a tomb. Three days later, Jonah was out of the whale and preaching to Nineveh. Three days later Jesus was raised from the grave. Both spent 40 days leading people to repentance. However, Jonah still begrudged Nineveh their ability to repent, whereas Jesus was sad that more people did not repent.

Like the first book in this series, Into the Sea, Out of the Tomb is a friendly introduction to Biblical typology for children. The pictures are vibrant and just plain gorgeous. The lessons in the book are simple without being dumbed down for the audience. Parents, teachers, and catechists would benefit from these books, and I'd wager they could learn as much as their children when reading it to them. Pick up a copy for you and one for a friend too!

This book was provided to me for free by Emmaus Road Publishing in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

D'Aulaires' Book of Norwegian Folktales (University of Minnesota Press)

Ingri and Edgar d'Aulaire are, in my opinion, the most underrated children's authors/illustrators of all time. They are best known for their books of mythology, both Greek and Norse, but they also brought us their Book of Trolls, Leif the Lucky, Children of the Northlights, and Ola, which doesn't even cover their American Folktales. Today, I am lucky enough to present to you their Book of Norwegian Folktales.

D'Aulaires' Book of Norwegian Folktales was originally published in 1938 with the title East of the Sun and West of the Moon. It begins with an introduction on Norway, and the couple's decision to translate a selection of the 100+ tales. They quickly realized that there were already near perfect translations available so they relied on an old Norwegian edition, Dasent's translation, and their own translation to perfect the stories. That was they "easy" part. The hard part was narrowing it down their selection and only including 21 tales in this book.

The most recognizable story in this book is "The Three Bushy-Billy Goats." This tells the tale of the troll bridge and the three goats crossing his bridge. I think nearly every child knows that story, but I wager that 99.9% of them didn't know it was Norwegian in origin. One of the shorter, cuter tales told why the bear had a short tail. In short, it was because, he tried to go ice-fishing with his tail, but he kept it in there too long and it was frozen off. The tale I most enjoyed was the one that shared the original name of this collection, "East of the Sun and West of the Moon." It told of a prince who had been cursed and was turned into a bear. He found a poor girl to be his bride, but she messed things up, so he had to leave her and marry someone else. This devastated the girl, so she vowed to come find him, and where she had to look for him was east of the sun and west of the moon.

This book was classic d'Aulaires and had that familiar Norwegian feel, like other books they have authored/translated. This was most visible in the ending of some tales, "Snip, snap, snout, and now this tale is out!" The stories were easy to read and very fascinating, because it exposes the reader to a culture they might not understand, but also might not get a chance to experience otherwise. The only thing that was lacking in this book was a lot of illustrations, like you are used to with their other books. They explain this in the introduction, but it doesn't make it any less disappointing. That complain aside, I would still highly recommend this book and even further recommend pairing it with some of the titles I listed above.

This book was provided to me for free by University of Minnesota Press in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

Les Misérables (Candlewick Press)

Marcia Williams is an author/illustrator known for her comic book style. Using this recognizable style and an approachable storytelling method, Ms. Williams has brought both classics and mythology to a young audience. One of her latest books is Les Misérables, the most famous work by Victor Hugo. I was first exposed to Les Misérables by my wife in the monumental movie that starred Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, and Russell Crowe. Having seeing that very lengthy movie, I questioned how Ms. Williams was going to make some of the stickier points in the story kid-friendly (primarily Fantine turning into a lady of the night and Javert's suicide). Thankfully, she chose to gloss over these details.

I have to admit that I am not a huge Les Misérables fan, and I only requested this book because I know my wife is a fan. However, this book made the story very approachable, and I enjoyed Ms. Williams illustration style. The text felt a little dry at times and felt more like summary than actual story. My wife also somewhat enjoyed the book, which is saying something, because she usually doesn't enjoy classics in the graphic novel format. She too has never read the original book, so she told me that reading through this version, she realized how much the musical/movie whitewashed some characters, particularly Marius. If you are a fan of Les Misérables and want to share that love with your 8 to 12 year old, then you might want to pick up a copy of this book.

This book was provided to me for free by Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

Pecos Bill: The Greatest Cowboy of All Time (New York Review Books)

Pecos Bill: The Greatest Cowboy of All Time is a book that was published in 1937. It also received the title of Newberry Honor Book. 70 years later, New York Review Books brought this classic back into print, much to my delight. The book begins with an introduction by the author that explains that these book is folklore. That means that while there may be bits of truth in these stories, they are tall tales for the most part, which were a big part of American literature.

The book begins with young Bill being four years old. His family was migrating westward and travelling by a covered wagon. To his family's knowledge, he was asleep in the back of the wagon. He actually fell out of the wagon; was found by a coyote, who raised him; and taught him everything about the outdoors. Bill, therefore, grew up believing that he was a full-blooded coyote. In Chapter Two, Bill met a human nicknamed Chuck. The two conversed as best they could, and it was here that Bill re-learned the English language. He also finally learned that he was indeed a human and not a coyote. He wasn't happy to learn this, and it took a great deal of convincing, but the bit of evidence that finally won him over was when Chuck realized that Bill was his long-lost brother. Other chapters include Pecos Bill becoming a cowpuncher (a cowboy); Pecos Bill busting a cyclone; and Pecos Bill meeting his love, Slue-Foot Sue.

Reading tall tales about characters such as Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill should be required reading for all children in the United States. This book is recommended for children ages 9 to 12, and it does have some illustrations in it. That being said, it still is a 250 page book, so if your children are on the younger end of that range, you might want to make it a read-aloud book, which isn't a big deal, because this is a book that the whole family will enjoy. I know mine did. I highly recommend this book for all the cowboys and cowgirls out there.

This book was provided to me for free by New York Review Books in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!