OSCAR AND THE NOISY CHILDREN

Cetas provides a tale of a troll who encounters kids for the first time.

While gathering blueberries, large-eared troll Oscar hears five children, all with pale skin and light hair, playing near the cabin at the edge of the woods. Oscar’s never seen human kids before. When they decide to go exploring, Nathaniel, who was in the cabin’s bathroom, is left behind; he runs wildly after his siblings and lands in a mud pit. The others are too far away to notice. Without revealing himself, Oscar tries to get the other kids’ attention, but time’s running out. He bravely approaches the pit with a tree branch and Nathaniel grabs the other end, but it’s slippery. Finally, the other kids appear and work with Oscar to pull Nathaniel out. By the time he’s safe, Oscar’s disappeared. The next day, the kids leave Oscar a pie and a thank-you note. Oscar is a lovable character, although readers don’t get much of a sense from Kose’s full-color cartoon illustrations that the children annoy him, as the text implies. What’s most charming is Oscar’s instinct to help, even at the cost of being discovered. The text itself is big and bold, and Oscar’s depiction makes him the most distinct character with his short stature, big feet, and large ears.

An appealing story of a woodland resident with a big heart.