Master Maid: A Tale of Norway

Leif is a likeable fellow, but he never wants to listen to anyone, and he always has to do things his own way. So when his father warns him not to go work for the troll, that's just what he does!

The troll seems nice enough, but the jobs he gives Leif are trickier than they seem. Leif can only succeed with the advice of a beautiful and mysterious maiden he discovers in the troll's kitchen. But will he be wise enough to take her advice? And what will they do when the troll figures out he's been fooled?

A lively Norwegian folktale that goes to show that women know best!

TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS -- A READER'S THEATER SCRIPT OF THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE IN AARON'S BOOK "FOLKTALES ON STAGE," OR FREE ON AARON'S WEB SITE.

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Aaron Shepard is the award-winning author of "The Baker's Dozen," "The Sea King's Daughter," "The Adventures of Mouse Deer," and many more children's books. His stories have appeared often in Cricket magazine, while his Web site is known internationally as a prime resource for folktales, storytelling, and reader's theater.

Pauline Ellison is an award-winning artist, designer, and illustrator from the UK. Among her many works are the book covers of the 1975 Bantam Books paperback edition of Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea Trilogy.

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"An engaging but little-known Norwegian folktale, expertly told and nicely illustrated. . . . Shepard's concise story line and evocative language make this an ideal choice for telling or reading aloud." -- Denise Anton Wright, School Library Journal, June 1997

"It's the details that make [this story] interesting." -- Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 1997

"It's always a pleasure when Aaron Shepard has a new book published, and his latest is no exception. The boy, the troll, the beautiful girl, and the impossible tasks will be familiar to many storytellers; what is new is the way Aaron makes this story sparkle." -- Katy Rydell, Stories, Summer 1997

"Aaron Shepard has done it again. And after reading his latest, I'd say Master Maid is his best yet." -- Kate Frankel, Storyline, Fall 1997

"This enchanting fairy tale is a clever and lively story that makes a mark for gender equity. Aaron and Pauline have done a great job bringing this charming story to life." -- Kip Nead, Growing Up, Nov. 1997

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When the troll had gone, Leif said to himself, "Not look through the house? Why, that's just what I want to do!"

So Leif went through all the rooms till he came to the kitchen. And there stirring a big iron pot was the loveliest maiden he had ever seen.

"Good Lord!" cried the girl. "What are you doing here?"

"I've just got a job with the troll," said Leif.

"Then heaven help you get out of it!" said the girl. "Weren't you warned about working here?"

"I was," said Leif, "but I'm glad I came anyway, else I never would have met you!"

Well, the girl liked that answer, so they sat down to chat. They talked and talked and talked some more, and before the day was done, he held her hand in his.

Then the girl asked, "What did the troll tell you to do today?"

"Something easy," said Leif. "I've only to clear the dung from the stable."

"Easy to say!" said the girl. "But if you use the pitchfork the ordinary way, ten forkfuls will fly in for every one you throw out! Now, here's what you must do. Turn the pitchfork around and shovel with the handle. Then the dung will fly out by itself."

Grade 1-5?An engaging but little-known Norwegian folktale, expertly told and nicely illustrated. Shepard streamlines the original text collected by folklorists Peter Asbjornsen and Jorgen Moe in the 19th century, but remains true to the spirit of that version. Leif, a headstrong young man, leaves home to work for a demanding troll and soon discovers that the tasks assigned to him are impossible. For example, when cleaning out the stable every pitchfork of dung that Leif throws out is multiplied tenfold and flies right back into his face. It is only with the help of the Master Maid, a beautiful young woman who cooks for the troll, that Leif is able to complete his tasks. When the irate troll decides to put him into a stew, the two escape. The troll pursues them and it is the Master Maid who saves the day. At the book's end, the couple get married. When the minister asks the young woman if she will love, honor, and obey her husband, Leif says, "Never mind that! It's best if I obey her." The narrator slyly adds, "And he did?which is why they lived happily ever after." Shepard's concise story line and evocative language make this an ideal choice for telling or reading aloud. Ellison's realistic watercolors, done in a bright and cheery palette, are highly detailed and for the most part appealing. However, the artist has a little trouble depicting humans; the troll is the most successfully executed character and he ends up being more amusing than threatening.?Denise Anton Wright, Illinois State University, Normal
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Shepard (The Gifts of Wali Dad, 1995, etc.) tells a familiar type of tale in which a headstrong young man blunders into the stronghold of an ogre, falls in love with the beautiful servant he finds hidden away there, and performs impossible tasks with the help of the brave and clever maiden, with whom he finally escapes. It's the details of the tasks and the dangers encountered that make these stories interesting: The hero, Leif, must muck out the troll's stable with a pitchfork that makes ten forkfuls of dung fly in for every one he pitches out, bridle the troll's fire-breathing stallion, and extract taxes from the fairies without being buried alive in gold and gems. As Leif and Master Maid flee, she contrives to put a forest, a mountain, and an ocean between them and the pursuing troll, and the troll counters by calling upon the Forest Chewer, the Mountain Cruncher, and the Water Sucker. Ellison's finely textured watercolors are a mixture of the homely (sod roofs, shaggy goats, copper pots, cabbages, gooseberries) and the fantastic, all suffused with an old-fashioned, golden fairy-tale glow. (Picture book/folklore. 6-9) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ages 5-8. This picture book presents a shortened version of a Norwegian folktale originally collected by nineteenth-century folklorists Peter Asbjornsen and Jorgen Moe. A young man named Leif goes to work for a troll, who sets him to work at three difficult tasks. With the help of a clever maid, whom he comes to love, Leif accomplishes all three. When Leif and his beloved are fleeing the angry troll, she magically throws obstacles behind them on the path. They escape and marry. At the ceremony, Leif declares that, rather than his wife vowing to obey him, "it's better if I obey her." This modern touch seems a little out of key, but in general the story reads well, considering that it's adapted for a young audience. Each page of text faces a large, bordered, soft-focus watercolor painting. Ellison captures the adventure and magic in a way that should appeal to young children. Not an essential purchase, but a nice addition to folklore collections. Carolyn Phelan