Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Dynamic art, clever text make for fun update of classic.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In THE THREE BILLY GOATS GRUFF-- THE FULL STORY, three goats -- Big Billy Goat, Middle Billy Goat, and Little Billy Goat -- decide to cross a rickety wooden bride to eat grass on the other side, even though getting there means getting past the mean, hungry red monster of a troll who lives under the bridge. They all manage to outsmart Troll, and the final one, Big Billy, "boots Troll sky-high into the air" using his two big horns. After that, the brothers Gruff, one by one, tell the Cousins Gruff on the other side of the bridge their versions of what happened in their daring adventure.
Is It Any Good?
This lively retelling of the classic fairy tale adds goat cousins and portrays the troll as a monster with lots of kid-appeal, but keeps the tension and repetition for a great read-aloud. Changes in perspective help Katherie Tillotson's captivating characters jump out at the reader and add to the drama and momentum of the story. And Richard Jackson's clever, playful text will keep kids engaged at every step.
The final swerve into the goats telling their own versions of their Trolll encounters to their cousins is a little puzzling, but true to human experience: Everyone enjoys recounting a story of bravery in which they get to be the hero.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about this version of the classic fairy tale in The Three Billy Goats Gruff -- The FULL Story. How is it different from versions you've heard before? What parts are the same? Is the trol how you pictured him?
What do you think of the art? How did the artist make the scary parts scary and the happy parts happy? Which picture is your favorite?
How do you like the repeated words in the story? Like the "trip-trap" and "tap-tap-tapping" of the goat's hooves and Troll's "mutt-muttering"? What's fun about playing with words?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Katherine Tillotson
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
- Publication date : September 1, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 48
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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