School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2Trigg's morning routine is fairly consistent. He gobbles his breakfast, grabs his books, and kisses his mother goodbye. He crosses a field, goes up a hill, and down a long road to a bridge, where an ugly troll lies in wait to collect a toll. Since Trigg does not have a penny to spend every time he goes to or from school, his only option is to outwit the greedy fellow. He proposes a riddle, tricks the troll, and crosses for free. As the days go by, the child thinks up some ingenious riddles, and the troll's mother (who also lives under the bridge) becomes increasingly digusted with her son's gullibility. He even lets Trigg whisper a riddle to him when he can't think one up himself, and is enraged when the boy knows the answer! Then one day, the troll's mother decides to send him along to school. Children will be impressed with and tickled by Trigg's clever thinking. The text is interspersed with small black-and-white rebuslike sketches, while the opposite page features full-color art. Root's characteristically earth-toned palette gives the story an air of mystery. She portrays the action with a modern child instead of the long-ago-and-far-away setting one might expect in such a story. A tale that's sure to leave imaginative youngsters glancing behind trees and under bushes on their way home from school!Lisa S. Murphy, formerly at Dauphin County Library System, Harrisburg, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
A boy and a young troll face off in a series of humorous encounters. "The visual eccentricities help the reader believe in the fantastical world so deftly created here," said PW in a starred review. Ages 3-7. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Each day on his way to school, Trigg must outsmart the troll on the bridge or pay a toll to go across. Trigg does so for three days in a row, much to the chagrin of the troll and his mother. After Trigg outsmarts him for the third time, the troll's mother sends him off to school with Trigg so he can get smarter. A charming, endearing tale, where the humor lies both in the matter-of-fact tone and the detailed illustrations. From HORN BOOK 1995, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Ages 4-7. A classic fairy-tale scenario is updated here. Trigg is a modern little boy in blue jeans and sneakers. But his path to school every day takes him over a bridge possessed by an old-fashioned troll. When the troll demands the customary toll, Trigg decides to outwit him by using riddles. Wolff's text is fluid and playful and filled with riddles that will be familiar to readers. Root's attractive pen-and-watercolor paintings gracefully blend quaint and contemporary elements in an oversize format. A fun choice; kids will enjoy knowing the jokes and laugh when the troll decides to join Trigg at school so he can become smart, too. --Leone McDermott
