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STOLEN THUNDER by Shirley Climo

STOLEN THUNDER

A Norse Myth

adapted by Shirley Climo & illustrated by Alexander Koshkin

Pub Date: March 21st, 1994
ISBN: 0-395-64368-6
Publisher: Clarion Books

From the adapter of, among others, The Egyptian Cinderella (1989), another straightforward retelling. This lengthy account of Thor's journey to Thrym the Frost King to retrieve his stolen hammer, Mjolnir, has a tone that's more contemporary than heroic, but it's not ill suited to a tale featuring the trickster Loki's banter and Thor unwillingly disguised as Freya, whom Thrym has demanded as his bride in exchange for Mjolnir's return. The Russian illustrator, known here for his paintings for Winthrop's Vasilissa the Beautiful (1991), provides powerful illustrations with figures of sculptural solidity in richly decorative settings bordered with Norse motifs; he picks up the myth's humor with the intensity of his character's expressions and such details as the King's wedding feast, where fish, boar, and deer seem to have been congealed rather than cooked. An entertaining story, much enhanced by the art accompanying it. (Folklore/Picture book. 6- 11)