Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 3-5, younger for reading aloud. In this spirited Norse myth, a conflict rages between two larger-than-life characters. Thor, the most powerful god, who makes thunder with his magic hammer, Mjolnir, lives with the other gods high in the sky in Asgard. Thrym, the Frost King, lives in Jotunheim at the edge of the earth with the other giants. ~When Thrym slyly steals Mjolnir, a furious Thor sends the artful Loki to find the hammer. Wearing the special falcon cloak of Freya, the goddess of love, Loki flies down to Thrym and dupes Thrym into a bargain: Freya for Mjolnir. Thor and Freya are horrified, but clever Loki propos~es that Thor dress up as the bride. Thor, after feasting heavily enough to raise eyebrows, grabs back the magic hammer just before Thrym tries to kiss the bride, and felling the stunned Thrym, the Thunder-maker quickly exits, forcing Loki into silence about the dress-up esca~pade that led to their success. Climo carefully sets the stage, establishing setting and characters. Her dramatic text, jammed with snappy dialogue and colorful emotions, is framed in gold. The lovely full- and half-page paint~ings, also neatly framed, heighten both the distinc~tive characters and the fast-moving plot. An excerpt from Longfellow's "The Challenge of Thor" is included at the story's end. Although shorter in plot than many retellings, this book is a gem, guaranteed to spark interest in mythology. Use as a read-aloud and as a resource for mytholo~gy units and recommend it for plea~sure reading. ~--Deborah Abbott
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Despite her wordy presentation, Climo brings an unmistakable verve to this retelling of a Norse myth. Opening passages set the story in context, introducing the various gods and goddesses before describing the theft of thunder god Thor's magic hammer. Overcome with foot-stamping fury, Thor accuses prankster Loki of the crime, but Loki guesses that a giant is the culprit and flies to the giants' icy land. His instincts proven correct, he negotiates a bargain with Thrym the Frost King: the return of the hammer in exchange for Freya, goddess of beauty. An unlikely scene of cross-dressing follows, and all ends happily with Thor reunited with his precious tool. The artwork is alternately ethereal and solid, expressing mythic undertones as well as Climo's modern voice. Dark humor resonates, most noticeably in the frequent sneers that suggest that being a god is not all fun and games. Ages 6-10. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-5-Evocative writing and dynamic full-color illustrations bring this Norse myth to life. When Thor's magical hammer is stolen, the trickster Loki goes in search of it and discovers the thief is none other than Thrym, king of the frost giants. He is unwilling to trade the hammer for anything other than the hand of the beautiful goddess Freya in marriage. After Freya refuses to consider such a proposal, Loki convinces Thor to shave his beard and disguise himself as the bride-to-be. The moment his hammer is safely back in his hand, Thor reveals his true identity and strikes the giant down with a thunderbolt. Climo's top-notch retelling relishes the humor inherent in Thor-that epitome of masculinity-pretending to be a woman. Koshkin draws unevenly upon a variety of influences from the art world: frescoes found in the early Christian cloisters, illuminated manuscripts, symbolist paintings, and even Japanese wood engravings. But ultimately, his exotic acrylic-wash illustrations, with their rich palette of reds and golds, possess a luxuriousness that is somehow appropriate for this story. Overall, an accessible introduction to Norse mythology for children who might otherwise think they are too old for picture books.-Denise Anton Wright, Illinois State University, Normal (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In order to retrieve Thor's powerful hammer, which has been stolen by the giant Thrym, Thor -- the thunder god -- and the trickster Loki disguise themselves as bride and handmaiden and travel to the land of the blue-skinned frost giants. The retelling, in combination with energetic, sometimes humorous illustrations, gives readers an exciting glimpse into the world of Norse mythology. From HORN BOOK 1994, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
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)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
