Status
Available
Genres
Description
A boy from Finnmark and his ice bear help scare away some hungry trolls so that Kyri and her father can enjoy their Christmas Eve meal.
Publication
Scholastic (2003), 32 pages
User reviews
LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
When a Finnmark boy and his ice bear, enroute to Oslo, stop off at a small mountainside hut for shelter in this traditional Norwegian folktale, they find themselves unintentionally performing a much-needed service for the people who live there. Kyri and her father, long plagued by trolls on
First collected by Asbjørnsen and Moe, in their Norske Folkeeventyr, this tale - Kjetta på Dovre ("The Cat on the Dovrefell") in the original - can also be found in some other picture-books, from Tomie dePaolo's fairly traditional The Cat on the Dovrefell, to Jane Yolen's more recent revisionist interpretation, Sister Bear: A Norse Tale. This retelling by Jan Brett is engaging, and the artwork is truly gorgeous! Lovely decorative endpapers, full two-page illustrations, with smaller sidebar illustrations inset on the edges - one of the hallmarks of Brett's work - and copious use of Scandinavian motifs, make this a true visual treat. I probably would have awarded four stars, if I weren't irritated at the absence of any note about source material, which is always a pet peeve of mine, when it comes to folkloric retellings. Leaving that aside, this is a book I would recommend to young folklore enthusiasts, particularly those looking for Christmas stories, as well as to fans of Jan Brett.
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Christmas Eve, keep watch to no avail, and lose their holiday feast every year. With the advent of the boy and the bear however, all that changes, as a series of events - the children flee when the trolls arrive, one of the trolls mistakes the bear for a cat and pokes him in the nose with a hot sausage, and the enraged bear chases the trolls out of the hut and onto the mountain - ensures that the problem will never recur...First collected by Asbjørnsen and Moe, in their Norske Folkeeventyr, this tale - Kjetta på Dovre ("The Cat on the Dovrefell") in the original - can also be found in some other picture-books, from Tomie dePaolo's fairly traditional The Cat on the Dovrefell, to Jane Yolen's more recent revisionist interpretation, Sister Bear: A Norse Tale. This retelling by Jan Brett is engaging, and the artwork is truly gorgeous! Lovely decorative endpapers, full two-page illustrations, with smaller sidebar illustrations inset on the edges - one of the hallmarks of Brett's work - and copious use of Scandinavian motifs, make this a true visual treat. I probably would have awarded four stars, if I weren't irritated at the absence of any note about source material, which is always a pet peeve of mine, when it comes to folkloric retellings. Leaving that aside, this is a book I would recommend to young folklore enthusiasts, particularly those looking for Christmas stories, as well as to fans of Jan Brett.
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LibraryThing member Whisper1
I never tire of Jan Brett's artistry. What a tremendous gift she possesses. One again, using a Norwegian folktale for the springboard of the story, the illustrations are filled with attention to detail. Each page contains images galore, and while one might think it difficult to focus, Brett always
Cold and weary, Olso travels with his very special ice bear. Spotting chimney smoke and smelling delightful food, Olso is inspired to continue to move along to the source of his needs.
Finding a delightful cottage, he knocks on the door asking for rest and respite. Hesitant to open the door, Kyri is surprised to find that it is not troublesome trolls, but rather a person who might help her.
Each Christmas Eve the sneaky, nasty trolls invade and steal Kyri's well planned, delicious meal. This year, when the trolls invade, Olso's ice bear comes to the rescue. Mistaking the bear for a kitty cat, the ugly troll sticks his nose with a hot ember. When the bear roars, the trolls flee.
This is creative, beautiful and, once again, the art work is stunning.
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has the two page spreads with a focal point and then smaller images on the periphery.Cold and weary, Olso travels with his very special ice bear. Spotting chimney smoke and smelling delightful food, Olso is inspired to continue to move along to the source of his needs.
Finding a delightful cottage, he knocks on the door asking for rest and respite. Hesitant to open the door, Kyri is surprised to find that it is not troublesome trolls, but rather a person who might help her.
Each Christmas Eve the sneaky, nasty trolls invade and steal Kyri's well planned, delicious meal. This year, when the trolls invade, Olso's ice bear comes to the rescue. Mistaking the bear for a kitty cat, the ugly troll sticks his nose with a hot ember. When the bear roars, the trolls flee.
This is creative, beautiful and, once again, the art work is stunning.
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LibraryThing member Anna-KateSisson
This book is about a boy and his polar bear that are traveling. On their way to their destination, they come upon a house that smells like something delicious is being cooked inside. The girl allows them to come inside and eat and rest. Soon, a clan of trolls come to attack the house. Luckily, the
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polar bear wakes up from his nap and scares them away. Show Less
LibraryThing member agwood
Grade Level: 3
This would be a good book to read during Chritmas time. This story is about a little hut in the mountains that trolls loved to come and eat thier food on Christmas Eve. But this year was different a little boy from Finnmark was traveling to Oslo to show off his bear. He smelt the
This would be a good book to read during Chritmas time. This story is about a little hut in the mountains that trolls loved to come and eat thier food on Christmas Eve. But this year was different a little boy from Finnmark was traveling to Oslo to show off his bear. He smelt the
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smoke so he made his way to find the house once he got there the little girl allowed him inside. They tried their hardest to keep the trolls out but somehow they managed to get inside. One troll thought it would be a good idea to place a hot sausage on the polar bears nose, the poloar bear got so mad and the scared the trolls away. The next year, alittle troll came back and asked about the bear and he was still there and the trolls never came back. Lessonplanspage.com has many great activites you can do with your students during the hoilday seasons. Show Less
LibraryThing member allawishus
This one's an odd little Christmas tale. Kyri prepares a Christmas feast, but is worried that some trolls will come and gobble it up before she and her family get a chance to eat it. A boy from Finnmark - a Northern province of Norway? - comes along with his pet polar bear - he tries to scare the
The illustrations are framed in a really interesting way - the dark night sky appears at the top of each double-page spread, filled with mountain peaks and northern lights and stars and trolls. On either side of the main scene are two illustrated wood cut-outs framing the illustration. The wood cut-outs change with each page and also have two separate scenes in them. It's almost like a (very weird) comic book.
The book is full of details about how Scandinavians celebrate (or celebrated?) the Christmas holiday. Theres tons of little scandinavian details in the scenery, the outfits, the woodcarvings, the food, etc. It's very chock full of detaily little scenes.
The story's apparently based on a Norwegian folk tale, but there weren't any source notes as far as I could tell.
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trolls away, but it's the bear that really frightens them.The illustrations are framed in a really interesting way - the dark night sky appears at the top of each double-page spread, filled with mountain peaks and northern lights and stars and trolls. On either side of the main scene are two illustrated wood cut-outs framing the illustration. The wood cut-outs change with each page and also have two separate scenes in them. It's almost like a (very weird) comic book.
The book is full of details about how Scandinavians celebrate (or celebrated?) the Christmas holiday. Theres tons of little scandinavian details in the scenery, the outfits, the woodcarvings, the food, etc. It's very chock full of detaily little scenes.
The story's apparently based on a Norwegian folk tale, but there weren't any source notes as far as I could tell.
Show Less
LibraryThing member slrice
The story is of a little girl named Kyri and her father who are preparing their Christmas Eve meal. Every year the trolls come and take all of their food, so this year the father decides he's going out to find the trolls first. While home alone Kyri hears a knock at the door its a boy who has come
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to seek shelter. The trolls show up to the house, however with the help of the boy and his polar bear they are able to save Christmas Eve dinner. Show Less
LibraryThing member kdcoshatt
This book is about a boy and his polar bear walking around on Christmas Eve. It is also about a girl and her father who cook Christmas Eve dinner every year and every year the trolls come and eat everything. This year they were determined to keep them out. While the little girl cooks her father
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goes to the top of the mountain to look out for the trolls. The little boy and the bear see the house and go to see if they can sleep there for the night. The girl says sure and they eat dinner together. The trolls do show up and the polar bear scares them and chases them away so from that forward the trolls never came back. This is a story of friendship and helping people out when they have a problem. Show Less
LibraryThing member msshank
Every Christmas eve Kyri and her father's hut is invaded by trolls when they smell the warm food. This Christmas eve Kyri's father set out to stop them. He sat at the top of the hill waiting for them to come. A boy from Finnmark was traveling to show off his ice bear and smelled the food. He went
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to the hut and knocked. Kyri let him and the bear in and they attempted to eat. The trolls tried several times to get in when they finally got in they ate the food while the boy and girl hid. One troll bothered the sleeping bear and he got up roaring. He scared all the trolls away and the father was very grateful. This would be a good book for christmas time. it is interesting and the suspence makes you want to keep reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member dtortorice
This book is about a little girl who is followed home by trolls on Christmas Eve. Her and a friend try to barricade the house but the trolls come in through a trap door in the cellar! Luckily, the little girl has a pet bear who scares away all the trolls and they never come back!
LibraryThing member Andreawallin
Reaction: Brett’s gorgeous, supernatural illustrations captivate the reader, perhaps more so than the actual story itself. Children will love all the different scenes in the book, particularly the scene of the trolls greedily cramming themselves with Christmas cakes! The constellations of the
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various characters in the book are illustrated on the front cover, creating a prelude to the scene. Show Less
LibraryThing member dangerlibearian
Every Christmas Eve trolls attack a hut stealing all the Christmas food and wreaking havoc. This Christmas Eve the hut gets unexpected visitors, a boy and his bear. The trolls break in and eat all the food but the bear scares them off. The trolls are too scared to return, so happy Christmas to all.
LibraryThing member ecrobinson
A boy from Finnmark is in the Arctic circle cold and hungry, when he sees the smoke of a fireplace in the distance. He discovers the hut and is let in by his new friend, Kyri. She is inside making Christmas Eve feast for her family and now the boy from Finnmark and his pet bear. The boy is warned
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of the annual visit by trolls to steal their food but he welcomes the invitation and is very grateful. Kyri's father went to go watch for the trolls to scare them off but they still appeared at the house knocking constantly. The boy's bear scares off the trolls on this Christmas Eve, and are never again a problem for Kyri and her family. Show Less
LibraryThing member jmcneal
The story in this book was very entertaining, but I think I liked it so much because of the illustrations. I loved just looking at the Christmas related images.
LibraryThing member kanders2
Another lovely story by Jan Brett. I think the artwork in this book is the real draw for me. I love her attention to detail and her intricate borders around every scene. That and her choice of color really pulls this book together.
LibraryThing member dukefan86
Pretty illustrations, but the story didn't do anything for me.
LibraryThing member SJoachim
When the pesky trolls come looking to steal Kyri's Christmas feast they find a big surprise. They are chased off by her friend's polar bear. This convinces the trolls that they never want to return to Kyri's hut again. Another cute story that features animals that aren't the norm for children's
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books. I think children will love the illustrations. Show Less
LibraryThing member uufnn
Gorgeous illustrations done by the author; A boy from Finnmark and his ice bear help scare away some hungry trolls so that Kyri and her father can enjoy their Christmas Eve meal.
LibraryThing member adaq
I love Jan Brett's beautiful illustrations. But this story didn't do much for me. One highlight: The troll's confusion of the polar bear ("ice bear") for a cat, and the little girl's using that to trick the troll ("Missy," [the troll] called in a high, cracky voice, "do you still have that kitty
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that sleeps under the stove?" "Oh, yes," Kyri said, "only she has grown up into a big cat now, and she has seven kittens, all larger and fiercer than herself.") I found it amusing and so did my 3yo. Show Less
LibraryThing member lquilter
I love Jan Brett's beautiful illustrations. But this story didn't do much for me. One highlight: The troll's confusion of the polar bear ("ice bear") for a cat, and the little girl's using that to trick the troll ("Missy," [the troll] called in a high, cracky voice, "do you still have that kitty
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that sleeps under the stove?" "Oh, yes," Kyri said, "only she has grown up into a big cat now, and she has seven kittens, all larger and fiercer than herself.") I found it amusing and so did my 3yo. Show Less
LibraryThing member pstone
Pair with Who's That Knocking at My Door? by Reinhard Michi
LibraryThing member LibrarianRyan
As always, Jan Brett has breath-taking illustrations and a sweat story that can be passed down for the ages. This one involves trolls that destroy christmas, and one bear called Kitty that can save it.
#WinterGames2020 #TeamReadNosedReindeer +26
#WinterGames2020 #TeamReadNosedReindeer +26
Language
Original publication date
2002
ISBN
0439559936 / 9780439559935