The Three Billy Goats Gruff book Review by Jerry Pinkney

 

Written and Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 978-0316341578

Plot Summary: The 3 billy goats are looking longingly across the water to a field full of grass and flowers that the goats could eat. A troll lives under the bridge and doesn't allow anyone to come across without threatening to eat them. The smallest goat tries to make his way across the bridge but is stopped by the troll. The troll lets him go across because he is so small. The next goat tries to go across the bridge and is stopped by the troll and he is let go as well so that the troll could eat the biggest goat. The biggest goat takes the challenge and headbutts the troll into the water where a fish threatens to eat the troll. The goats are all able to get across the bridge whenever they would like as the troll looks on in defeat. 

Critical Analysis (Including Cultural Markers): This book has wonderful illustrations and the onomatopoeia used in the book helps create a fun rhythm to the book that any reader will be sure to enjoy. This is a classic retelling of the fairytale and is a very balanced book in showing the dichotomy of good vs. evil. The goats are the main characters who just want to be able to go where they please and the troll stands in the way of the prize that the goats know is good for them. The environment of the story is one that anyone can relate to and allows for the reader to imagine a prize that they must work for but is not within easy reach. The illustrations look to be a mixture of watercolor and colored pencil and are made in a very easy and pleasing to the eye manner that gives the words of the story that much more meaning. The troll is the star of the show in my view as he gets the most detail in the illustrations and we know for certain that he is not on the good side by the way the author and illustrator depict him with words and art. 

Review Excerpts: School Library Journal Review 

Employing his signature pencil and watercolor compositions, Pinkney brings a thoughtful, nuanced perspective to this classic tale. The story begins as expected, with the goats “trip-trapping” across the bridge in search of food—the first two urging the troll to wait for the bigger animal coming next. Each goat has a distinctive appearance; the troll is fierce, with green skin, horns, and exceptionally large teeth. The halcyon, rainbow-studded river valley is surrounded with rocks on one side and lush vegetation on the other. While the story retains familiar cadences, subtle decisions about language and behavior elevate the telling, ensuring multiple readings. As the drama progresses, the design changes, incorporating ever-stronger personalities until a gatefold opening accommodates the standoff between the largest goat and the troll. Hand-lettered sound effects enhance the text’s dynamic potential. An artist’s note mentions that Pinkney was “confounded by the ending of the original tale, in which the troll disappears or turns to stone.... It seemed he never had a chance to learn his lesson.” Here, after the troll is catapulted into the water, he faces a monster fish who gives him a taste of his own medicine. A visual epilogue on the endpapers allows readers to form their own conclusions about the encounter’s impact on all involved. VERDICT With a seasoned storyteller’s ear for language and an extraordinary mastery of his medium, this wise and gentle bookmaker helps readers see that cleverness, community, and confrontation all have a time and place in dealing with a bully. Sure to become a storytime staple.–Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library

Connections: Students can do a re-make of the classic story of the 3 billy goats gruff and they could make their own picture book that goes along with it. Students could also work together as an author/illustrator pair and make their own picture books in partners. 

More by Jerry Pinkney

The Patchwork Quilt ISBN: 978-0803700970

The Tortoise and the Hare ISBN: 978-0316183567

The Ugly Duckling ISBN: 978-0688159320



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