The Terrible Troll-Bird

by Ingri d'Aulaire, Edgar Parin d'Aulaire

Four young children, walking in the forest at twilight, meet up with the dreaded giant troll-bird and, despite their fear, decide to defeat it once and for all

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction

Hardcover

First published August 1, 1976

About the author

Ingri d'Aulaire (1904-1980) was an American children's artist and illustrator, who worked in collaboration with her husband and fellow artist, Edgar Parin d'Aulaire. Born Ingri Mortenson in Kongsburg, Norway, she studied art in Norway, Germany and France, and met Edgar Parin d'Aulaire when she was a student in Munich. They married in 1925, and immigrated to the USA shortly thereafter, settling in Brooklyn in 1929. After pursuing separate careers initially, the couple turned to illustrating children's books together, releasing their first collaborative effort, The Magic Rug, in 1931. They settled in Wilton, Connecticut in 1941, and lived there until their deaths in the 1980s. Awarded the 1940 Caldecott Medal for their picture-book biography of Abraham Lincoln, the d'Aulaires published other children's biographies, as well as some notable works on Greek and Norse mythology. (source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

i agree with a lot of greg's review of this book - birds are definitely evil, and if a giant one is going after your horse, i think it is only fair that you kill it and eat it and make shoes from its skin and a boat from its beak. (but i would never set foot in your gross, gross boat)

but the message here is awful. basically, if a giant bird comes into your village, you are allowed to kill it 'cuz it is self-defense. that seems logical. but then, when the troll-owners of the bird come a-looking for their pet and find him eaten by tiny villagers, who are using its feet as pitchforks, and they get justifiably cross, the solution is to trick the trolls into death-by-sun? that doesn't seem like justice. poor trolls.

but i guess the real moral here is, if you are a troll, buy a watch, and respect your curfew, rooster or no rooster.

even though this is a children's book, i have to remark on this part that annoyed me. i don't understand why the mother would first scold the children for coming back without the wood they were supposed to have been gathering when the troll-bird first made his aggressive move - not believing them when they said they had to run home before the troll-bird got 'em, only to have her turn around, see the giant rooster, and be all "ohhhhh, you mean that bird. yeah, that's the troll bird from the mountains. that thing's big, right?" (not a direct quote) so casual, as though she hadn't just said "I have never heard such silly talk, to think that a bird could fly off with a horse." (direct quote) c'mon mom, you can't have it both ways. unless you're greg's mom.

come to my blog!

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is taken from a Scandinavian folk-tale. It's about a giant chicken who hunts the forests for things to eat. Since it's a giant bird it needs to eat big things, like horses. One day though he fucks with the wrong horse and gets his comeuppance.

I said in the comments that this is kind of dark, but now that I'm thinking of it it's really not. Lots of fairy tales end with the demise of the antagonist. I guess it's really not that dark.

The book is beautifully designed, like almost all of the New York Review of Books children classics are. I don't think that these books are really for kids though, more for stunted adults like myself who have a weak spot for book design and a nostalgia for a youth and time that was never their own (I mean I had a youth, but the books NYRB releases are not 'lost classics' from my childhood, but from an earlier time). The books in the series look so nice that you'll want them on your shelf, but I'm not sure if the youth of today would find much in them, or appreciate the quality of the books. I'm not sure if children should appreciate things like this, they should save that kind of appreciation for when they are older and avoiding the banality of their real life by filling the void with this appreciation.

I do like that the book teaches that birds are evil. Children need to learn this. It's science mind you. Birds are direct descendants from dinosaurs. Dinosaurs were not necessarily evil, but when most of the dinosaurs went extinct birds' brains evolved with the instinct to seek justice for the catastrophe of their ancestors. Birds have small brains, but they are wired with hatred towards mammals. As I said this is science. The only mammals they can abide to sharing the world with are dolphins, because they also hate all other mammals, and they are in the water. A place the birds have no claim of their own on.

Birds believe that one day the chosen bird will be born who will mate with a luciferian dolphin and a new species will be created that will help usher in a new age of dinosaurs. This is of course complete bullshit, but birds and dolphins still believe it. Just like evangelicals believe in the rapture.

[Terence · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Terrible Troll-Bird is the third book in this year's B-Day present to my niece, Claire (see my reviews of the other two: Supposing and Ounce Dice Trice), the most conventional of the three as it actually tells a story. In this case, the tale of Ola & his sisters, Lina, Sina and Trina.

The story reminds me of Beowulf: A New Verse Translation: The terrible troll-bird (Grendel) is terrorizing the forest & village, and when it attacks Ola, Lina, Sina & Trina's farmhouse, Ola manages to kill it. Everyone in the village and the denizens of the forest celebrate at a great feast (where the troll-bird provides the main course) but then the bird's owners - the trolls Gygra and Jotun (Grendel's mother) - come down from the mountain to take revenge. Fortunately, trolls - as everyone knows - aren't very bright and they're caught out when the sun rises and turn to stone.

The ending also reminded me of the great Norwegian film "Trollhunter" because after turning to stone, the trolls explode. (While we're recommending good Scandinavian films, I'd also include "Rare Exports" and "Dead Snow".)

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Oh, for all the world's pancakes." Remake of Ola and Blakken. Personally, I feel kinda sorry for the trolls.

[Angie Libert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already loved this author. So I was happy to see another book by them. As a once rooster owner, I especially found this story delightful.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of children go into the forest to gather firewood. Suddenly they see the terrible troll-bird. It threatens to take their horse, so off they flee. But the children gather up their courage and come up with a plan to end the life of the terrible troll-bird, and the whole village celebrates by eating the roasted bird. In come the trolls, angry that their troll-bird has been eaten. But the children know how to deal with trolls, too.

A beautifully illustrated, action-packed folktale from Norway.

[Dani]

Title: The Terrible Troll-Bird
Author: Ingrid and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire
Genre: Myth
Theme(s): Wit, Community
Opening line/sentence:
“On a clear summer eve their mother said to them, “Now go up to the grove and fetch me a load of wood for the stove.””
Brief Book Summary:
Four children outsmarted a huge bird who was trying to fly away with one of their horses. One of the children, Ola, put a silver button into a firearm to kill the monstrous bird. The whole village came together and gathered all of the animals in the land to pull the bird back to the farm. The town roasted the bird, and seemed happy, until two massive trolls walked into the town looking for the bird to eat. The children were not scared though because they knew the trolls would turn into rocks once the sun hit them as they were creatures of the night, and sun was just beginning to peak over the hills.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Horn Book Guide
d'Aulaire, Ingri and d'Aulaire, Edgar Parin The Terrible Troll-Bird
40 pp. NYRB (The New York Review of Books) 2007. ISBN 978-1-59017-252-0
(2) K-3 Reissue, 1976, Doubleday. A monstrous chicken belonging to mountain trolls threatens four siblings. As in all good folktales, the chicken and trolls are no match for the clever children, and the monsters are vanquished in a most satisfactory way. The d'Aulaires illustrate this rousing Scandinavian folktale in exuberant pictures using both sketchy black-and-white lines and mottled color.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Children's Literature - Beverley Fahey
The D'Aulaires' fantastic tale about a terrible rooster that wreaks havoc on the people of a Norwegian valley is as enjoyable today as when it was first printed in 1955. Four children and their horse Blakken first encounter the huge bird in the forest, where they have gone to collect firewood. The troll bird desires to carry off Blakken, but the children and their trusty blunderbuss quickly dispatch the threatening creature. Horses, goats, cows, sheep, and even pigs drag the rooster to a farm where it is roasted. Its meat feeds the whole valley, and its feathers fill countless pillows and coverlets. The aroma of the roasting bird lures two trolls, Gygra and Jotun, to the valley; they turn their anger on the people who lived there. Once again, the clever children have the solution. They trick the trolls into staying until the sun rises. At that time, the trolls turn to stone and burst into thousands of pieces. Once again, peace returns to the valley. Ola, Lina, Sina, and Trina make a sturdy boat from the troll bird's beak and set sail for new adventure. The rich Scandinavian folklore is the basis for this tale that is refreshingly nostalgic in style and language and celebrates the bravery and ingenuity of the children. The D'Aulaires signature artistic style of alternating black-and-white sketches and three-color prints moves the story along. This should be standard fare for most libraries, and it should be a first purchase for home libraries seeking to have a foundation of classics. Reviewer: Beverley Fahey
Response to Two Professional Reviews:
Both of these reviews notice that children are clever and are able to smart out the “bad guys.” The illustrations stuck out to both reviewers, and also myself. The detailed pictures guided the reader to visualize the monstrous bird and trolls. Beverley Fahey notes the alternation between black and white and color moves the story along, but I am not sure why the illustrator chose this style. I read this book many times over and over, and I still cannot seem to find a purpose for the alternation of color. I do find it interesting as an artistic style; I just do not see the purpose in the story.
Evaluation of Literary Elements:
The large illustrations correlate with the text because of the details and depth of each picture. There are only a few sentences per page, which guides the reader to focus more on the illustration. I think this is effective because it could help young readers understand the components of the story, even if they cannot yet read. Additionally, the only page where an illustration is a double page spread is on pages 24 and 25 when all the animals are pulling the bird back to the village. I found this interesting because I inferred from this that the author and illustrator were conveying the importance of working as a team to accomplish a common goal.
Consideration of Instructional Application:
The teacher could assign the students roles within the book and the class could act out the story. The children would be able to adlib, so they could be more creative with their version of the story. The teacher would encourage them to come up with different strategies to kill the bird or bring him back to the village. Also, the teacher could bring in props and outfits for the students to get into character and tell the story from their point of view.

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Terrible Troll-Bird is another Norse book from the authors and illustrators Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire. The story focuses on Ola and his three sisters, Lina, Sina, and Trina. They are off to go get firewood one day when they spied an enormous troll-bird. The natural reaction was fear, but when they returned home they were able to slay the bird, cook it, and used its feathers for down. While cooking, trolls followed their nose and showed up. Fortunately, the sun was coming up about that time so no one was hurt/killed and the trolls were wiped out by the sun.

The illustrations are really the best aspect of this book. Some are color and some are black and white, but all of them are very harshly sketched out and felt very troll-like. Overall, the story was a little lacking, and while I'd recommend checking it out from the library, I wouldn't recommend owning it unless you found it on sale, your kids absolutely love everything troll-related, or you want to own all books by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire.

[Erin Burke Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annotation and Comment:
This is a Norwegian tale retold in the form of a picture book. It was one of my favorites as a child. It was interesting looking at it from the perspective of an adult with more reading experiences. I was struck with the commonalities between this story and many fantasy novels I have read. I believe that my students might enjoy my reading this storybook to introduce the fantasy genre.
The book itself is very large. The lithograph illustrations often span two pages. Each set of two pages alternates with another set of two pages, color and then black and white. The illustrations may be a bit scary for young readers. The culture is evident in the clothing and housing.

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one's made it through three offspring over a decade, so I guess I should reveal it to be the wonder that it apparently is. I kid. This is one of the most charming kids books I've ever come across. A kid in Norway and his sisters take down this ugly-ass rooster that's trying to eat their horse. This is only the beginning. The troll-bird is so-called because he's owned by two trolls who live in the nearby mountain and when they find out the townspeople ate the bird and used its secondaries for everything from pillows to boats, they are pissed.
There's a weird folksy, Sandburgian charm to the prose and the illustrations are splendid.

[Lleonardocampos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about what happened to Ola and his sisters,Lina,Sina, and Trina. Who lived in a faraway valley among the mountains of norway. The troll bird died because Ola took aim and pressed the trigger and killed the big bird. They took it to the farm and eat it and they celebration. two big old trolls came out and they were angry because they killed there troll bird so the people killed the two big trolls.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember reading this in elementary school. It seems to me that it was reasonably fun, although I can't dig up many details. I think I remember it because I was scolded by my teacher because it was well below my reading level (trauma: your key for lasting memories!) Then and now, I see no reason to restrict my reading to challenging, important books. A quick palate cleanser is just the thing sometimes.

Now let's see if I can get this on hold at the library to read to my kids . . .

[Ari Slauson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall I have mix feelings about this book. I did enjoy it, but I'm not sure if I would read it to my class when I'm older. Some kids can get the wrong idea about it and/or get scared of the book and the different scenes with the bird.

[Emmanuel · Rating 2 out of 5]

i like the story, it is a good story to read to little kids. the bird was mean it just want to take animals away, but it didn't think that a family can take it down. the village cook the bird and had a good meal.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful telling of a Nordic myth and beautifully illustrated. I love their books.

[Mel Beags · Rating 2 out of 5]

**Spoiler alert** Like so many old tales....gets a little odd :-) kids murder a giant., livestock-hunting, chicken and sail away in it's beak....

[Min · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mother sends her five children into the woods with a horse and cart to retrieve some wood for the stove. But....as in all good stories, they encounter a troll bird, so huge its crow shook the forest, it wanted to take their horse.
They children ran home, the troll-bird followed. Luckily, they knew the trick was a to fire a silver button at the bird, and that would kill it.
They did kill it so now they had to use all the animals on the farm to move it so it could be plucked and used.
The whole valley was happy from all of its residence appeared to enjoy the feast. That included the red-capped gnomes, the green-clad huldra=maidens.
Then, the trolls awoke. They could smell their rooster had been roasted and went to the village to punish them. Little did they notice that the sun was coming up and they exploded into moss covered boulders.
The children sail off in the boat made from the bird's beak.

[Forked Radish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aka The Terrible Marabou Stork or The Terrible Fire Bird. I learned a lot from this book about Neanderthal man, marabou storks cum firebirds and that's it, but that's a lot. First, marabou storks, also called firebirds due to the habit of feeding on fleeing fire victims, migrated as far North as Norway during the Summer in prehistoric times and that said storks taste just like chicken! Also, trolls (Neanderthals) had very good night vision indubitably an adaptation to the far North's long dark Winter. Also, the troll into stone when the sun hits 'em idea probably comes from the fact that the only trolls you'd see in the day were long dead and desiccated skeletons. Kinda like thinking that the beach kills fish because all the fish on the beach are dead. People are pretty stupid, after all.

[Viviana · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a terrified child drawn in this book I guess supposed to be just hungry and ready for food at a dinner table, but it helps reflect how I felt reading. It's neat, but a bit unsettling. Maybe I'll make a gif like that cool bookreviewer gal..cuz I'm a lil confused how

[Scotty Jinks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth a read, for the imaginative/inventive use of the Troll Bird's body parts. I love to include Folklore in bedtime stories.

[Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love a good folk tale and this was no exception. The oversized, magnificent lithograph illustrations really bring the book to life.