Who's That Knocking on Christmas Eve? by Jan Brett, Jan Brett (Illustrator)

From Barnes & Noble

The Barnes & Noble Review
Beloved children's author Jan Brett sends us to faraway Finnmark for a rollicking tale of a boy, his bear, and band of hungry trolls.

When Kyri hears a knock at the door, she's afraid it's the trolls coming for their annual Christmas raid. Happily, it's only a boy traveling to Oslo with his snow-white ice bear. The two children warm up as the bear snoozes under the stove, but before long, ravenous trolls have invaded the house and the kids scurry outside, leaving the sleeping bear indoors. But when one of the trolls baits the bear, the sleeping bruin wakes up with a fierce snarl, chasing the nasty varmints away for good.

This folksy Christmas tale combines an entrancing story with Brett's trademark artwork: Bold reds and blues offer a vivid contrast to whites and wintry hues, and stylized borders extend the story further with additional scenes and ghostly trolls. Kids will be delighted with this warmhearted tale set in a cold-weather clime. Matt Warner

From the Publisher

Every year, trolls knock down Kyri's door and gobble up her Christmas feast. But this year, the trolls are in for a surprise: a boy and his pet ice bear on their way to Oslo have come in from the cold. And once the ice bear is finished with the trolls, you can bet they won't come knocking next Christmas Eve!

Once again, Jan Brett creates an original Christmas story full of warmth and magic. Featuring beautiful borders, intricate illustrations, and a stunning display of the Northern Lights, Who's That Knocking on Christmas Eve? will rightfully take its place among Jan's Christmas favorites with the whole family.

Publishers Weekly

Knock knock. Who's there? More trolls to add to Brett's (Christmas Trolls; Trouble with Trolls) canon. Apparently, the trouble with trolls is that they're always making trouble. Luckily, they never get any smarter. In this Arctic story, a shy Finnmark girl fends off lurking trolls with help from a traveling boy and his pet polar bear. An icy landscape shimmers under the northern lights while bright Scandinavian frocks and household items give the scenery a kicky dash of color. Brett simultaneously reveals another angle of her tale via intricately designed side panels that frame the main event. The lifelike polar bear, both hulking and docile, is a scene-stealer. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-In this story based on a traditional Norwegian folktale, a boy traveling from Finnmark to Oslo with his pet polar bear stops by Kyri's hut on Christmas Eve. The guests help to frighten away the trolls who come to wreak havoc and steal all of the holiday treats. The pleasure here lies mostly in the lush, richly textured illustrations, with Brett's distinctive borders that incorporate Norwegian folk motifs and trolls romping through skies lit by the Northern lights. Scenery aside, the children are rather one-dimensional, but the bear is handsome and heroic and the trolls satisfyingly ugly and naughty.-V. W. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

The solemn (and not too scary) polar bear gazing out from the cover of this latest offering from Brett (Daisy Comes Home, 2002, etc.) sets the tone for a tall tale of troll trouble based on a Norwegian folk tale. An older boy and his pet polar bear take shelter in the cozy mountain hut of a little girl named Kyri, who is worried that trolls will come to steal the Christmas Eve dinner as they have in years past. The naughty trolls do in fact tunnel in through the cellar and eat up the goodies before being chased away by the polar bear, awakened from his snooze under the stove. Brett makes good use of her signature touches: authentic cultural details in setting, costumes, and food; borders representing intricate handcrafted elements; and glimpses into actions happening on several fronts simultaneously through smaller side panels. The trolls and polar bears are incorporated into the midnight-blue sky at the top of each spread, as flickering images within the northern lights or as constellations, and the endpapers show an entire night sky with constellations made up of images from the story. Brett’s many fans will enjoy sharing this on Christmas Eve, perhaps with a plate of Scandinavian heart-shaped cookies like those that Kyri baked.

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