The Terrible Troll Bird

Ah my friends. I can't tell you how much I am in love with the works of Ingri and Edgar d'Aulaire. They created my most favorite of Greek mythology books, a book that I have been waiting to buy for Julia when she got old enough. (yes, it's a buy-and-keep-forever book.) She's old enough! I used to own it, but my parents were not as on top of keeping my book collection together as I was/am, and somehow, that book became lost.

But today, I have 'The Terrible Troll-Bird' for you. I have to tell you something. If I see a restaurant that has the words 'cafe' or 'bistro' in the title, I will want to go into it.

Likewise, if I see a children's book that has anything to do with Scandinavia and trolls....I don't even stop to think, I just get the book. This one JUMPED INTO MY HANDS at the library. Has that ever happened to you? Books just FLY into your arms? It happens, I'm telling you.

So, in this story, which is great for preschoolers on up to age 7-8, a BIG BAD GIANT TROLL BIRD (as in, it is owned by trolls) rolls into town and begins to cause a ruckus. A hullabaloo, if you will.

The story is really pretty simple. The troll-bird causes mischief, and the villagers go and fetch their BLUNDERBLUSS (some kind of old fashioned rifle-slash-musket thingy) and shoot the bird. Boom, just like that. Bye bye troll-bird.

Then they roast up that giant, mega-chicken and "the smell of roast chicken filled the whole valley." Well that sounds tasty and delicious! Warning all you troll-birds: you might be killed by a blunderbluss and roasted on a spit.

Then the trolls come along and are all, "WHERE'S OUR BIRD, YO?" and the villagers are like, "hey we ate it, and guess what the sun is coming up and you're gonna turn into stone. HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES???"

It's a fun, silly book. After the troll bird is roasted, various 'red-capped gnomes' and 'green clad sprites' come out to have fun at the chicken-eating soiree as well.

Mostly what really excites me though, is that I have a new catchphrase, thanks to this fine story. "OH FOR ALL THE WORLD'S PANCAKES" is going to be coming out of my mouth for a very, very long time.