Stolen Thunder: A Norse Myth [Hardcover]

Shirley Climo (Author), Alexander Koshkin (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Retells with drama and humor the Norse myth about the God of Thunder and how he recovers his magic hammer, Mjolnir, from the Frost Giant, Thrym.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Despite her wordy presentation, Climo brings an unmistakable verve to this retelling of a Norse myth. Opening passages set the story in context, introducing the various gods and goddesses before describing the theft of thunder god Thor's magic hammer. Overcome with foot-stamping fury, Thor accuses prankster Loki of the crime, but Loki guesses that a giant is the culprit and flies to the giants' icy land. His instincts proven correct, he negotiates a bargain with Thrym the Frost King: the return of the hammer in exchange for Freya, goddess of beauty. An unlikely scene of cross-dressing follows, and all ends happily with Thor reunited with his precious tool. The artwork is alternately ethereal and solid, expressing mythic undertones as well as Climo's modern voice. Dark humor resonates, most noticeably in the frequent sneers that suggest that being a god is not all fun and games. Ages 6-10.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5-Evocative writing and dynamic full-color illustrations bring this Norse myth to life. When Thor's magical hammer is stolen, the trickster Loki goes in search of it and discovers the thief is none other than Thrym, king of the frost giants. He is unwilling to trade the hammer for anything other than the hand of the beautiful goddess Freya in marriage. After Freya refuses to consider such a proposal, Loki convinces Thor to shave his beard and disguise himself as the bride-to-be. The moment his hammer is safely back in his hand, Thor reveals his true identity and strikes the giant down with a thunderbolt. Climo's top-notch retelling relishes the humor inherent in Thor-that epitome of masculinity-pretending to be a woman. Koshkin draws unevenly upon a variety of influences from the art world: frescoes found in the early Christian cloisters, illuminated manuscripts, symbolist paintings, and even Japanese wood engravings. But ultimately, his exotic acrylic-wash illustrations, with their rich palette of reds and golds, possess a luxuriousness that is somehow appropriate for this story. Overall, an accessible introduction to Norse mythology for children who might otherwise think they are too old for picture books.
Denise Anton Wright, Illinois State University, Normal
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books; First edition. edition (March 21, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395643686
• ISBN-13: 978-0395643686
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,094,746 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars nice book, April 26, 2003

By 

Marianne Mcparland "smaugdragon66" (New York, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stolen Thunder: A Norse Myth (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my 3 year old son who loves Thor. This book is very beautifully illustrated and the story itself is quite amusing. Thor (the Norse god of thunder)had his magic hammer stolen by a giant. In order to get it back the trickster god Loki comes up with a plan for Thor to pretend he is the beautiful goddess Frejya in order to trick the giant(and get his hammer back). This is a good story for both boys and girls and is not scary to read to young children. I explained to my son not to be afraid of real thunder as it is only Thor up in the sky protecting everyone (and this story really helped to drive that point home). He is no longer afraid of thunder during a storm.