Flumbra: An Icelandic Folktale

Flumbra: An Icelandic folktale

When the dim-witted giantess Flumbra falls in love, her escapades upset all Iceland. From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 4 In spite of its subtitle, the introduction states that this is an original story using Icelandic folk motifs. The story tells of Flumbra, a giantess who falls in love with a giant who is as dimwitted as she is but a good bit uglier. As a result, she gives birth to eight male offspring with faces that only a mother could love. She wants to take them to see their father, but she forgets that the sun turns giants into stone. Thus, she and the boys get "sunned on," with a predictable result. The text lacks the verve of a true folktale, and the story is so repetititive that it loses its humor and punch during the tellng. The colorful illustrations, which convey the texture of stone very well, are slightly better than the text. An import from Iceland, this book does not carry well into another culture. Kay McPherson, Central Atlanta-Fulton Public Lib .Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.