Ages 4-8. Treva, last pitted against the trolls in The Trouble with Trolls [BKL Je 1 92], encounters devilish troll tricks again in a new adventure set at Christmastime. As in the earlier book, Brett constructs a pictorial story-within-a-story, using elaborately bordered side panels and panels that flow across the bottom of double-page spreads to tell what's going on behind the scenes of the main action. The panels track the amusing antics of a mischievous hedgehog, while the large, double-page-spread pictures follow Treva's investigation into the disappearance of Christmas items from her home. She traces the thefts to the trolls, who, it seems, "want Christmas" but haven't the faintest notion how to "get" it. Treva obliges by teaching them about the spirit of sharing that pervades the season. The story here isn't as strong as the earlier book's, but the pictures, filled with Scandinavian motifs, burst with color and stunningly intricate detail, and children will love following the hedgehog's progress through the pages. ~--Stephanie Zvirin

Brett's meticulous illustrations, accompanying the story of a little girl's encounter with two greedy trolls at Christmastime, are delightful to pore over. Treva shows the trolls how to have Christmas by cleaning, decorating, and playing games, and she gives up her favorite toy to explain that the most important part of keeping Christmas is sharing. From HORN BOOK 1993, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Blond, blue-eyed Treva (The Trouble with Trolls, 1992) teaches a pair of greedy little trolls how to celebrate Christmas: following them in order to find the gifts and ornaments they've snitched from her house, she helps them decorate their home, shows them how to share, and offers them a gift--a gesture they make in return on Christmas morning. The story is predictable but related with appealing directness; and fans will be enchanted, once again, with the lovingly detailed folk/Scandinavian details in Brett's bright, crisply delineated art, especially in the intriguing borders--where the trolls' charming pet hedgehogs are busy with their own related pursuits. (Picture book. 4-8)