The Three Billy Goats Gruff

by Mac Barnett, Jon Klassen (Illustrator)

Once there was a bridge and a terrible and VERY hungry troll lived underneath it. When the three Billy Goats Gruff decide to clip-clop across the bridge to get to the grassy ridge, the troll is already imagining all the way to prepare a delicious goat dinner. But the troll underestimates those seemingly sweet but oh-so-savvy goats!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Humor, Fairy Tales, Fiction, Storytime

48 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2022

About the author

Born to non-farmers in a California farming community, Mac Barnett now lives near San Francisco. He's on the board of directors of 826LA, a nonprofit writing center for students in Los Angeles, and he founded the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for time travelers.

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is genius! The troll could not be more of a villain. He has decorated the bridge he considers his own with a skull (from a goat?) and has his fork and spoon ready for an anticipated morsel. As we know, each goat that crosses talks the troll into waiting for the next bigger option. Until there is one big enough to send the troll down the river -- literally. Alas, the many goat dishes that troll dreams of are not to be. The three billy goats, however, are happily munching on their favorite meal. No matter how many times you have read about these billy goats, you will not want to miss this creative and clever version from Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen.

[Stay Fetters · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I am a troll. I live to eat. I love the sound of hooves and feet and paws and claws on cobblestones. For that's the sound of meat and bones."

The geniuses that are Mac and Jon are back! After having my mind blown with Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, I knew that I was going to come crawling back (or clopping across a bridge) to read another book by these two. They just love to create something that really makes you think beyond what you are seeing and reading.

This story is a classic and one of my favorites from when I was a kid. As I got older, this now makes me think of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia with the Nightman, the Dayman, and paying the troll toll. I think that is a story for another day.

I love this book so much. The story was wonderful and made me laugh out loud. Bellies were rolling like bowls full of jelly. You always know that you're going to get the best when Mac and Jon get together. They know how to suck you into their story and pair it with the best illustrations.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff was the masterpiece that I knew it was going to be. Mac and Jon can do no wrong in my book. Just can't wait to see what they come up with next. All I know is that it's going to be fantastic.

[Ms. B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this new and dark retelling of The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Young readers who are looking for something a little scary will surely like this one.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminds me a little bit of one of my childhood favourites, Jon Scieszka's "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs". It's a pretty perfect read-aloud, with comical twists, plenty of silly rhymes and onomatopeia. Barnett has a field day with language, particularly whenever the troll is speaking. Shades of William Steig's Shrek.

Another point in favour of this being a good read-aloud is that Klassen's inimitable style is so simple and clear, that kids will be able to enjoy his comical illustrations even from a distance (sometimes illustrations are way too detailed/dense with sight gags for large groups of kids to appreciate, when someone is standing up, and holding the book several feet away from their faces. Scaredy Squirrel never made it into my rotation for that reason.). That being said, there's some great texture and details that can be appreciated up close. Klassen can make you laugh and communicate so much, with something as simple as a well-placed pupil of the eye. He's a legend.

I'm such a fan of both Barnett and Klassen, and thrilled to have another one of their collaborations. I'm still smiling, as I think about how badly the troll gets DEMOLISHED at the end by the absurdly large goat gruff.

[Barb in Maryland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvelous new version of the classic story. Mac Barnett gives us clever rhymes from the troll as he contemplates dining on goat; great illustrations from Jon Klassen (who gave us I Want My Hat Back .
Worthy addition to all libraries-school, public, and home.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hilarious twist to this delightfully droll retelling.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Didn't know goat could be served up so many ways:

"I love goat! Let me count the ways. A rump of goat in honey glaze. Goat smoked, goat poached, a goat pot roast. Goat smorgasbord! Goat smeared on toast!" ... and that's just one goat.

With Mac Barnett at the creative table you can guarantee the ending won't be what you expected - it will be far better and Jon Klassen's illustrations add another level of menace.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who can weave a humorous comment about kale into a story deserves 5 stars! This is a great retelling and the illustrations are fabulous

[Melissa Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mama gives it 5 stars. The kiddo says 4 stars “because the graphics could be better”

[Lindsey Eick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. My son and I enjoyed this new take on The Three Billy Goats Gruff. We especially enjoyed the troll and the size of the third Billy Goat Gruff. Absolutely loved the illustrations!! Thanks @macbarnett, @jonklassen, and @orchardbooks for this amazing picture book!! #TheThreeBillyGoatsGruff

[Rachael Marsceau · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are reading this on repeat and I'm not mad about it. 😂

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Barnett/klassen books. We all enjoyed this.

[Suhasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and fun!

The Terrible Two's author does it again!
In this retelling of Three Billy Goats Gruff, he blends in dark and grim elements with his classic humor.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining and humorous take on the classic children's story. The rhyming dialogue is wonderful.

The illustrations, created using inks, watercolor, and graphite and compiled digitally, are humorous and very atmospheric. I read it a couple of times, enjoying the silliness and appreciating the nice flow of the narrative.

[Amanda Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all - this duo Barnett and Klassen may be my favorite. So many great books come from them. If you are not following them on instagram - start now. I love folktales and this is a hands down favorite because it's not too scary for the littles and the Paul Galdone version ends with Trip trap trout, this tale's told out - how did that get there? So much history in this story and I am amazed by how many of my students think they know the story only to be entranced by every clip clop clip clop over the bridge. They audibly gasped at the size of the oldest goat and laughed when the troll lost his fork. Please check to see if your kids are getting enough folklore!

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanksgiving weekend family picture book read-aloud fun! (Book 8 of 13.)

A retelling of the classic Norwegian fairy tale does away with the gore but soaks the story in an eerie atmosphere and offers up its own comically ghoulish ending.

[Steve Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew there were so many ways to cook a goat?



Note: The library I work for received an ARC from Scholastic.

[Guilherme Semionato · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9Pf1...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVTQx...

[Mary Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had higher hopes...

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant retelling of one of my all time favourite fairy tales.

[Vinh Tang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed the retelling of classic stories but with a modern twist, the show Once Upon a Time and recently the movie Wicked do this really well. In this retelling of Three Billy Goats Gruff, we meet a large, grumpy, conceited, yet hungry troll who lives under a bridge. After some time, a small Billy goat starts to cross the bridge but is confronted by the troll who attempts to eat him. The Billy goat convinces the troll to spare him and that he should wait for his older brother who is much bigger than him. He is spared and the troll returns to the bottom of the bridge. Another slightly bigger goat then passes by soon after revealing to be the older brother of the previous goat. Once again, confronted by the troll, he convinces the troll to spare him and wait for his oldest brother. Again, the troll returns home and waits for the oldest brother who is revealed to be much bigger than the troll himself. The biggest goat then knocks the troll off the bridge into a deep waterfall and the goats live peacefully together. The major themes in the book were cleverness and teamwork. Each of the goats trick the troll into sparing them and eventually get to live peacefully without the troll harming them in any way which teaches the lesson that strong brains can be just as if not more strong as brawn. Each goat also teamed together to lead the troll into sparing all of the goats and eventually his untimely demise. The main genre of this book is classic folklore. Children reading this book could learn that being quick in your thinking and resourceful can be more useful and successful than being physically strong. This book was a WOW book for me because I enjoyed the comedic twist the author gave on the classic story without changing almost any of the previous elements and keeping the lesson the same.

Two of the literary devices the author used in writing this book were alliteration and repetition. Alliteration was used when the troll would hungrily rhyme about the different ways he could prepare goat meat. This enhanced the story because it added a comedic rhythm that could keep the readers engaged and entertained. Repetition was used each time the troll confronted a different goat. It enhanced the story to allow readers to predict what was coming next and keep them engaged despite the sudden twist the third time. The author portrayed anti-bias perspectives in this book by providing an underdog-type story with the much smaller goats outsmarting the much larger troll.

[Umar Mughal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is illustrated by the same author of "I want my hat back," Jon Klassen. I could already tell this would be a good traditional literature book because of Klassen's previous work. This book was retold by Mac Barnett, who has worked with Klassen quite a number of times in the past, building their credentials on children's books. In this book, the two billy goats convince the troll to let them pass over the bridge and into the field and he'll get something better to eat later, except he didn't. I thoroughly enjoyed this retold tale by Barnett with the amazing illustrations by Klassen that encompassed the themes of standing up for yourself in the face of distress and the importance of cleverness. This book has the two billy goats stand up to the troll, driving his appetite away from them and onto someone bigger which covers both themes of overcoming distress and how cleverness can help you. Through reading this book, children can learn the power of teamwork and the power of problem-solving by thinking creatively and being able to overcome challenges when working together. This was a WOW book for me because this folktale is new to me personally, and it's put on a high pedestal by the engaging dialogue and simple, but whimsical illustrations that I personally haven't in some folktale books.

Barnett's main literary device in this story would be repetition, with each billy goat passing over the bridge. This repetition builds suspense and creates a nice pace within the story. The literary device pulls readers to the edge of their seats, wondering if the next billy goat will be eaten or the troll will be outsmarted again. This book can be considered anti-bias because of how it promotes diverse thinking, showcasing different solutions to the same problem and that not all of them were wrong. This shows the value of different perspectives based on someone's specific strengths

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The troll was starving. He’d only ate a leather boot and some goop from inside his belly button so when he heard the “Clip, clop! Clip, clip!” on the bridge over his head, he was thinking food. The troll hollers up to whoever is up on the bridge and climbs out onto the bridge, scaring Gruit, the goat. The troll sings a detailed song about how much he loves eating trolls. Like in the classic story, Gruit explains about his bigger brother coming soon so the troll lets Gruit cross the bridge and the troll crawls back under the bridge to wait. Troll, thinking that he’s smart, handsome, and fun hears the second goat and again he pops up on the bridge, ready to eat this Billy Goat. The troll sings another verse of his, “how I love goats, let me count the ways” song. The second Billy Goat again gets the troll to wait for the next brother to come across, promising a better meal than he can provide.

Wait for it……oh, the troll can’t wait to see how wonderful this billy goat will be! Holy Moly!! I don’t think the troll was ready for this Billy Goat. This is a fun version of the story and I liked the way the troll made up the song. There were other little parts about the story that I liked too. I liked the little extras that were thrown in: what the troll had ate, what the troll does under the bridge, and what the troll says in the book. Those little things add to the story. I liked the darkness of the illustrations as to me; this is a dark story. It’s also a fun story that my children used to act out in the playground and I do it now, with my own grandchildren. 5 stars

[Evelin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to hear the start of a good joke? Three goats and a troll meet at a bridge. The Three Billy Goats Gruff is the retold folktale about three goats named Gruff who try to cross a bridge guarded by a hungry troll. This is a children’s traditional literature book discussing greed, punishment, and cleverness to survive. The very hungry troll living under the bridge waits and listens until the Billy Goats come across the bridge to head to the grass on the other side. The troll imagines various ways to eat the goats, from “goat smoked” to “goat smeared on toast” (Barnett, 2022). It is then that the small goat, Gruff, gets a clever idea to convince the troll that the bigger brother goat will be a better meal. The troll takes the offer as he is very hungry and lets greed take over in anticipation of a better meal. The quick thinking and resourcefulness of the goats to outsmart the troll led to their survival. Ultimately, the lack of understanding of the goat's quick thinking leads to the troll's downfall and negative consequences due to his actions. This is a WOW book for me because it is a hilarious take on a classic story.

Throughout the story, literary devices like repetition, rhyming, and hyperbole are used to enhance the humor and quality of this book. For example, to show the size of the waterfall the troll encounters is exaggerated by starting with “the big waterfall,” then “the huge waterfall,” and finally, “the really enormous waterfall” (Barnett, 2022). Barnett uses rhyme and repetition to express how the troll was obsessed and intended to eat the goats. For instance, “all he eaten lately was a leather boot and some goop,” to express the level of hunger the troll was in. Also, “let me count the ways” was repeatedly used, bringing out the troll's obsession. This is an antibias book because it provides justice to the clever goats. Children are to critical think about good vs. evil actions and how they can cause consequences.

[Addison Rike]

"The Three Billy Goats Gruff" by Mac Barnett is a modern retelling of the classic folktale about three goats who outsmart a fearsome troll. In this version, the three goats — Small, Medium, and Large — are determined to cross a bridge to reach greener pastures. However, a hungry troll lurks beneath the bridge, threatening to gobble them up. Using clever tactics and teamwork, the goats manage to outwit the troll and safely cross the bridge to their destination. The major themes in this book include teamwork, problem-solving, bravery, and cooperation. The main genres of this book are traditional literature and fantasy. Through reading this book I think children can take away the lesson of the importance of problem-solving but also including and using your friends to help, therefore encouraging teamwork to the young reader as well. This was a WOW book for me because of the amount of different versions made of this one story over the years still having the same lesson and concept, showing the importance and originality.

Some literary devices used by the author include repetition. The repetition of the phrase "Who's that trip-trapping over my bridge?" by the troll creates a sense of anticipation and builds tension as each goat approaches the bridge. The author also includes the goats and the troll being personified, creating them with human-like traits and motivations. This allows readers to relate to the characters and adds humor to the story. I would consider this book to be anti-bias because the author portrays the troll as left out because he wants to eat the goats and not because he is different or unique.

[bassam]

This was a fun story to read. Here is a summary of what happens in the book. This book is about three billy goats who want to reach a nice meadow across a bridge. But there's a troll under the bridge who tries to stop them. Each goat, starting from the smallest to the biggest, uses their brains to outsmart the troll. It's a fun story that shows us how working together and being clever can help us overcome problems.

The major theme of the book is about working together and using our brains to solve problems. The goats show us that even if you're not the biggest, you can still win by being smart and helping each other out.

The main genre of this book is folktale. If I where to read this book to children, I could teach them that even though you might not be the strongest or the biggest, you can still overcome many situations by using your brains and being smart. It also teaches children the brothers should stick together.

This book was a WOW book for me because it's funny, and the goats were very smart in problem solving. The pictures are great, and it's just the right mix of fun and learning for kids.

Some of the literary devices are repetition, dialogue and humor. The use of repetition creates a rhythmic pattern as each goat encounters the troll in a similar manner, providing a predictable yet engaging structure for young readers. Dialogue is used to develop character personalities making the interactions between the goats and the troll entertaining. Humor is used throughout the narrative, contributing to the overall enjoyment of the story.

[Nathan Albe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Three Billy Goats Gruff is a great reimagination of the classic folktale. The book offers a fresh, modern take on the timeless story of three billy goats encountering a troll while aiming to cross a bridge. Barnett's engaging storytelling and Klassen's captivating illustrations combine to create an entertaining narrative. This book highlights themes of wit, strategy, and the triumph of intellect over adversity. It falls into the children's traditional literature genre, blending humor, adventure, and cleverness in a way that teaches children the importance of resourcefulness, wit, and thinking outside the box of the old folktale story. This book was a WOW book for me due to its modern remake of the original folktale, making it an engaging read for both children and adults.

This book incorporates repetition of encounters between the goats and the troll builds suspense and rhythm, during the dialogue makes the reader more engaged. The illustrations complement creating a visually rich experience that elevates the storytelling. The story subtly promotes anti-bias perspectives by emphasizing intelligence and problem-solving abilities over physical traits. By showcasing the goats' quick thinking in outsmarting the troll, the book conveys the message that brains triumph over brawn. Overall, the book is an excellent children's book that combines storytelling and visuals to deliver an important message, making it an enjoyable read for young audiences.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read all 5 of these recommended picture books to my almost 5-year-old grandson on Thanksgiving and he (and I) most enjoyed Monsters In The Fog (which is interestingly the lowest rated here by readers). It is built upon mistaken appearances and teaches a nice lesson. The Three Billy Goats Gruff came in second with us. Its artwork is striking, unusual, and its scale is part of the story. I liked the word play of Knight Owl (and the dark colors and dragon). I think in another setting at another time Everywhere With You might have been more meaningful and it too was colorful and more sweepingly illustrated. The last book, John’s Turn, is probably intended for a slightly older child who is familiar with the school setting.

[Star Gater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Norwood House Press for accepting my request to read and review The Goats Gruff and the Baa-dly Built Bridge.

Author: Jason M. Burns
Published: 08/15/22
Genre: Children's Nonfiction -- Comics, Graphic Novels, Manga -- Science

This is another STEM Fairy Tale. Dr. Gnome is back. Again, I laughed out loud. The illustrations are simple, but effective. I do question how to explain structural integrity to a young child.

This is cute, smart and fun. It does require adult guidance. I loved the story.

I would gift this, perhaps with an Ant Farm, something science related, (Sea Monkeys?) to a child with solid help at home.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve not been including the picture books I’m reading with my elementary classes in my books read list because they’re so short, but that’s really a disservice. I’m putting a lot of thought and analysis into them, short as they may be, and at some point I need to hit my plan book and add more of them.

Going through Caldecott books this year I’ve learned how much my students enjoy Jon Klassen’s art, and this is one of my all time favorite fairy/folk tales. Barnett’s humor paired with Klassen’s art delightfully disgusted and marveled all of my second grade classes this week. They found the elements of fairy/folk tales and had some great laughs in the process.