Review contains a few spoilers:
There is nothing wrong with Vole and Troll the latest picture by Iza Trapani. Trapani is a delightful author and illustrator. The illustrations are cute, detailed and the brightness of each one makes them fun to “read” as well as look at and as fun as reading the actual text. The funky rhyming wording and the clever story make this a fun read-aloud for most ages.
I am not a fan of this new take on an old favorite.
This twist on The Three Billy Goats Gruff (instead of the Troll getting knocked off the bridge or other harm coming to it, the Troll and the Vole become friends due to their mutual love of music) usually would be right up my alley. Yet, maybe the ending is too modern for me. Or maybe it was the fact that Vole wants to get over to the other side of the Troll patrolled bridge to eat the yummy goodies (which he does by tricking the Troll), but it is never explained how Vole goes back over the bridge in reverse; allowing him to have another day that he needs to cross to get to the yummy field again.
Kids who like singing, folk tales and silly stories will get a kick out of this. The songs of the Troll (and later Vole, too) are classic goofy. The tricks Vole plays on the Troll are clever (and I did not even mind the practical joke aspect, which I am a stick-in-the-mud and do not like them). I am looking forward to meeting the author in October when she comes to our Vermont store. But the day before she will be at our New York store.