Trouble with Trolls - Jan Brett Week - Winter Picture Books

Trouble with Trolls
Written and Illustrated by Jan Brett
(G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1992)

Treva and her beautiful dog, Tuffi, live in a majestic mountain area that suspiciously looks like Switzerland or Norway or any one of those gorgeous northern European countries. But none of those locations have . . . trolls.

Specifically, trouble with trolls, many of which Treva has had. Trouble with Trolls tells the story of how Treva and her quick thinking saved Tuffi from being taken by trolls. The trolls in this book are not too smart and are somewhat naughty and sneaky. In this story, all they wanted was a dog. First one troll, then the next, and the next, grabbed Tuffi (kidnapped). How Treva gets her dog back, repeatedly, shows how resourceful Treva is - and how gullible the trolls are.

Jan Brett again uses the borders of the book pages to tell what else is going on in the story, behind the scenes. Boys and girls will enjoy helping Treva rescue Tuffi. Read a few pages, and then brainstorm to see how many ways Treva might try to get her dog back. That is a part of the fun in reading a new book.

Can you find a hedgehog in Trouble with Trolls?

KID KANDY:

Fly Like Treva & Tuffi

Cut long, narrow ski shapes from cardboard. Use masking or duct tape to add foot bindings. Let your child slip his feet into the bindings and ski inside the house. But where is Tuffi? Dig out a stuffed dog or favorite animal for your child to carry as he skies. Away they go!

KID KANDY is a book extension feature for kids and their families. If a child has a fun activity to do after reading a book (or before reading a book), the ideas and information in the book are more likely to stick. We know that the more kids love books, the more they read. And the more they read, the more they internalize things like story structure, character development, language, conflict, and creativity. And the love of both reading and exploring is encouraged to grow deep and rich in the life of kids.

Angie Quantrell writes picture books, blogs, takes photos, and chases her naughty kitties off of the counters. Books come to life in her imagination and litter all spaces in her home. If it weren't for all of her books, Angie could live in a one room house.