The Little Blue Bridge

Readers will happily discover that trip-trapping to friendship and cooperation is indeed a pie-worthy prize.

K-Gr 3--This reimagining of the Norwegian story of the three billy goats gruff replaces animals with four children who want to cross a log over a river to get to where the blueberries grow. Even though it is Ruby's idea, her three older brothers run off without her. On the bridge, they encounter Santiago, a disheveled bully of a boy who wants a snack in exchange for letting them cross the river. The mischievous brothers tell Santiago that their sister has the best snacks and scamper across the log. By the time Ruby arrives, she decides to build her own bridge. Santiago gets mad and falls into the water. He then helps Ruby build the bridge and together they cross to eat blueberries together, even though nothing was stopping him from eating them before. No context is given as to why an apparently homeless, hungry boy is in the role of the evil toll-taking troll; we only know he is alone on a log, and craving a snack. The book's final statement is that with Ruby's bridge, still guarded by Santiago, now everyone can cross the creek. It's an ineffective message, given that Ruby's brothers had no problem. Sánchez's illustrations are dynamic and colorful; she shows Ruby and her brothers each as a different shade of brown, while Santiago is more pale and pink-cheeked. The characters' poses and facial expressions are charming. Back matter shows different types of bridges and features an author's note about the history of the original story. VERDICT There are many other versions of this folktale in print, making this an unnecessary purchase; however, fans of the author's previous outing, The Little Red Fort, may want to take a look.--Chance Lee Joyner, Haverhill P.L., MA

"The repetition of key words and the predictable narrative would make this book excellent for reading aloud... The warmly colored illustrations with pops of red are... a fitting style for a book about one child's creativity and ingenuity." — School Library Connection