Who'S That Knocking On Christmas Eve?

Who'S That Knocking On Christmas Eve?

Every year, trolls knock down Kyri's door and gobble up her Christmas feast. But this year, the trolls are in for a surprise: a boy and his pet ice bear on their way to Oslo have come in from the cold. And once the ice bear is finished with the trolls, you can bet they won't come knocking next Christmas Eve!Once again, Jan Brett creates an original Christmas story full of warmth and magic. Featuring beautiful borders, intricate illustrations, and a stunning display of the Northern Lights,Who's That Knocking on Christmas Eve? will rightfully take its place among Jan's Christmas favorites with the whole family.From Publishers WeeklyKnock knock. Who's there? More trolls to add to Brett's (Christmas Trolls; Trouble with Trolls) canon. Apparently, the trouble with trolls is that they're always making trouble. Luckily, they never get any smarter. In this Arctic story, a shy Finnmark girl fends off lurking trolls with help from a traveling boy and his pet polar bear. An icy landscape shimmers under the northern lights while bright Scandinavian frocks and household items give the scenery a kicky dash of color. Brett simultaneously reveals another angle of her tale via intricately designed side panels that frame the main event. The lifelike polar bear, both hulking and docile, is a scene-stealer. Ages 4-8.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.From School Library JournalKindergarten-Grade 2-In this story based on a traditional Norwegian folktale, a boy traveling from Finnmark to Oslo with his pet polar bear stops by Kyri's hut on Christmas Eve. The guests help to frighten away the trolls who come to wreak havoc and steal all of the holiday treats. The pleasure here lies mostly in the lush, richly textured illustrations, with Brett's distinctive borders that incorporate Norwegian folk motifs and trolls romping through skies lit by the Northern lights. Scenery aside, the children are rather one-dimensional, but the bear is handsome and heroic and the trolls satisfyingly ugly and naughty.-V. W.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.From BooklistK-Gr. 2. Brett transports readers high above the Arctic Circle in this vivid, well-paced retelling of an old Norwegian folktale, a companion to her previous picture booksChristmas Trolls (2000) andThe Trouble with Trolls (1999). One Christmas Eve, a cold, hungry, Oslo-bound boy from Finnmark makes his way through the snow with his ice bear. Inside a distant hut, young Kyri prepares a delicious, aromatic holiday feast of sausage, fish, and tasty buns as she waits for her father to return home. Farther away (shown in one of Brett's trademark visually intricate insets), a ravenous troll sniffs the air to locate--and ultimately devour!-- Kyri's repast, just as he and his friends have every year. Children will be riveted by this suspenseful, happy-ending story of wanderers who "Knockety knock, knockety knock" at Kyri's door and the greedy, long-snouted trolls who "munched and grunted, shrieked and cackled, splashed the cider, and crammed themselves with Christmas cakes." Gorgeous endpapers depicting night-sky constellations studded with trolls, bears, and other mythical symbols complement the exquisitely detailed winter-wonderland artistry within.Karin SnelsonCopyright