The Three Billy Goats Gruff/Just a Friendly Old Troll (Another Point of View) [Paperback]

Alvin Granowsky (Author), Tom Newbury (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1995 | ISBN-10: 0811466353 | ISBN-13: 978-0811466356

For use in schools and libraries only.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 2--A rather pedantic retelling of the venerable Norwegian folktale is placed back-to-back with "Another Point of View." According to the Troll, who lives in a well-appointed home under the bridge, he is just being hospitable by inviting the Goats Gruff to dinner. It's not his fault that they think he wants to eat them. Newbury's Troll isn't especially fearsome he's just an ugly man and Nidenoff's illustrations for the Troll's tale feature a pastoral setting with pointy-eared, smiling, humanlike characters. True, there are two sides to every story, but for more satisfying retellings and illustrations, rely on versions by Glen Rounds (Holiday, 1993), Janet Stevens (Harcourt, 1987), and Paul Galdone (Clarion, 1979).

Virginia Opocensky, formerly at Lincoln City Libraries, NE

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Steck-Vaughn Company (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811466353
• ISBN-13: 978-0811466356
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.8 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,358,744 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I spent my twenties teaching and writing novels that weren't published. As I approached thirty, my first novel The Schoolteachers was published and promptly faded from view.

That led me to give up writing, I thought, and go for my doctorate in education at the University of Pennsylvania. I did complete the doctorate and along the way hooked up with a major professor who brought me along in the writing of his new reading series. The Bookshops--60 paperback books for the primary grades--was my first success (big time!) and led to a long career writing readers and texts for the school market. I loved my career as a Director of Reading/Language Arts for the public schools of Greensboro, NC and Dallas, TX, and later Vice President of Education for World Book Encyclopedia. But my greatest joy--aside from my three children--came from the many children's books I authored.

Today, I am largely retired and am back once again, just where I started,writing novels. My newest novel Teacher Accused: When Homophobia Explodes in a Texas Town has just been published! And I feel all the excitement I used to feel way back when.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hilarious children's book, June 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Three Billy Goats Gruff/Just a Friendly Old Troll (Another Point of View) (Paperback)

I first received a copy of this book at the International Reading Association's 1996 conference when I was acting as a staff development assistant and enrichment teacher at an elementary school. It is hilarious. First, you read the traditional The Three Billy Goats Gruff to the kids and then you read the Just a Friendly Old Troll story which is told from the point of view of the troll. It is really funny. The troll says he was just misunderstood-he didn't mean he was going to eat the baby goat when he said," I'd like to have you for dinner?" but that he was inviting him to dinner trying to make friends and that when baby goat and medium goat each said wait for my bigger brother knowing that eventually big billy goat gruff would come to defend them that he thought they meant they didn't want to come to dinner without their brother.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kids will love this story., March 19, 1998

By 

Shelley A. Mccoy "mccoys" (Knoxville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Three Billy Goats Gruff/Just a Friendly Old Troll (Another Point of View) (Paperback)

I am a school librarian and I thought these "other point of view" stories were wonderful (not just the 3 Billy Goats). It gives you a chance to alert kids to the fact that sometimes you need to hear another point of view before you make judgments. It's too bad the Horn book reviewer didn't like it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars what a cute book, June 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Three Billy Goats Gruff/Just a Friendly Old Troll (Another Point of View) (Paperback)

I first read to my boys the story of The Three Billy Goats Gruff which is just the way I remember it from when I was a child. I then flipped the book over and read to them the troll's point of view. What a cute and funny story. We all love this book. We will definitely buy other books like this one written with other classic stories telling both points of view.