From Publishers Weekly
In this playful debut, Youngquist spices up the familiar folktale with a Caribbean setting, and gives the nasty troll a lesson in manners to boot. Three goats hunger for the lush vegetation across a bridge guarded by Calypso Joe, a likable, green-skinned curmudgeon faintly reminiscent of Shrek. This troll's post is, naturally, a hammock complete with umbrella, tropical drink and sunglasses. As each goat tries to cross, the fellow roars, "I am Calypso Joe,/ de meanest troll dis part of de island./ Nobody cross dis bridge, but first he pay de toll!" Although heavy, the characters' melodic dialect and colorful language conjure the tale's setting and complement Sorra's (One Glad Man) tropical-hued acrylics. The artist puts the goats through their paces against a backdrop of luscious blues and greens, while Youngquist comes up with a redemptive twist. After the eldest goat butts Joe into the sea, Joe returns. " `How do you do,' he growled politely./ `I am Calypso Joe, a pretty good Joe,/ de nicest troll dis part of the island./ Now everybody can go 'cross dis bridge,/ no problem, man... no toll!' " Ages 3-7.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1-Three goats, a bridge, and tastier grass on the other side are all familiar, but the troll's name is Mean Calypso Joe, a pretty good clue that this version of the classic folktale takes place far from its Norwegian roots. The plot structure remains basically the same as the original; the variations are in the Caribbean dialect, the tropical setting, and the sunnier ending. Mean Calypso Joe has big square teeth, "eyes as big as coconuts," and seaweed hair. He sleeps in a hammock slung under the bridge and pops up whenever his rest is disturbed, shouting, "Nobody cross dis bridge, but first he pay de toll!" He meets his comeuppance in traditional fashion but it's a lesson well learned, as the now well-mannered creature assures all who cross, "no problem, man- no toll!" The expansive acrylic illustrations are bold and appropriately bright with lots of blue and green. The likable goats (especially the youngest with his little beanie and innocent expression) and the silly troll greatly mitigate the scare factor. Familiarity with the tale allows listeners to pay attention to the cadences and rhythms of the island lilt, so long as the reader can carry it off. Like the hip billy goat family in Rebecca Emberley's Three Cool Kids (Little, Brown, 1995), this tropical version is a fresh take on an old favorite.
Carol Ann Wilson, Westfield Memorial Library, NJCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
