It's clear a mother's work is never done when her three Billy Goats "Fluff" irk a notorious troll with sensitive hearing.
Annoyed by the bridge's obnoxious vibrations, sleep-deprived Mr. Troll posts stern warnings above his abode (“TRIP-TRAPPERS WILL BE EATEN!”) in a fruitless attempt to soften the prancing of noisy hooves. When the goats trip-trap along undeterred, he snarls a rhyming threat: “When I'm tired and feeling blue, / there's nothing quite like little goat stew!” Petrified, the nervous siblings run their little tails home to their mother, who sits, knitting adorable accessories for her boisterous trio. Mama sympathizes with the grumpy ogre (she understands the necessity of sleep first-hand) and sets forth a tantalizing truce. Mama's hobby provides fuzzy booties to finally muffle her children's clip-clopping. The rhyming verse is nothing to shout about, but most of the narrative is in a pleasingly deadpan prose. Sunny, bold spreads highlight the emerald-green troll (with stubby tufts of hair and long, manicured nails), and his outraged expressions convey each building annoyance. Quirky elements amuse (the goats' yard sign in sweater-form reads “fluffy stuff for sale”).
Overall, this solid British import keeps the fun (and loses the fearsome) in this spin on a traditional tale. (Picture book. 3-7)
