Bera the One-Headed Troll - Hardcover

Orchard, Eric

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1626721068 ISBN 13: 9781626721067

Publisher: First Second, 2016

Synopsis

Bera doesn't ask for much in life. She's a solitary, humble troll, tending her island pumpkin patch in cheerful isolation. She isn't looking for any trouble.

But when trouble comes to find her, it comes in spades. A human baby has arrived in the realm of the trolls, and nobody knows where it came from, but Bera seems to be the only person who doesn't want it dead. There's nothing to it but to return the adorable little thing to its parents.

Like it or not, Bera's gone and found herself a quest.

From noted picture book illustrator and graphic novelist (Maddy Kettle) Eric Orchard comes Bera the One-Headed Troll, a delightful new fantasy adventure with all the sweetness, spookiness, and satisfaction of your favorite childhood bedtime story.

About this title

About the Author

Eric Orchard is a cartoonist, illustrator and writer who tells richly imagined stories for kids of all ages. He is the author and illustrator of the Maddy Kettle books and a number of picture books. He has won a Spectrum award for his illustrations and has been included in the Society of Illustrators annual exhibition. In school he studied painting, drawing and art history. On his own time, Eric has studied folklore as well as comic books. Bera the One-Headed Troll is inspired by Norse fairy tales and illustrations by Arthur Rackham and Maurice Sendak.He considers himself very fortunate to be drawing books for kids all day. Eric currently lives in Toronto with his wife, two young sons, and studio companion: Albert Pineapple the parrot.

From School Library Journal

Gr 4–8—Content to harvest pumpkins with her owl sidekick, Winslowe, Bera is a one-headed troll (most trolls have two heads) who has never left her island. When she saves a human baby, Bera realizes she must leave her quiet solitude and seek help from the ancestors in order to return the infant to the land of the humans. On the way, Bera meets friendly hedgehogs and fights off multiheaded trolls, goblins, and Cloote, the former Head Witch of the Troll King, a Baba Yaga-esque character who travels in a Viking boat with legs. Can meek and gentle Bera protect the child? Evoking an eerie, surreal mood, Orchard's rust-colored illustrations, populated by odd, grotesque creatures, are similar to Dave McKean's art in Neil Gaiman's Coraline. A masterly artist, Orchard makes excellent use of shading and light. There is sweet humor to be found throughout, from Bera's first encounter with dirty diapers to her attempts to use old and out-of-date maps. Persistent, resourceful, respectful of her ancestors, and true to herself, Bera is a heroine with heart. VERDICT Fantasy readers, graphic novel aficionados, and those with an interest in folklore will gravitate to this tale.—Laura Dooley-Taylor, Lake Zurich Middle School North, IL

Edition details

• Publisher: First Second
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1626721068
• ISBN 13: 9781626721067
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 128