The Three Billy Goats Gruff

by Stephen Carpenter (Illustrator)

Three clever billy goats outwit a big, ugly troll that lives under the bridge they must cross on their way up the mountain.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Folklore, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Fiction

24 pages, Hardcover

First published July 27, 2015

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Giuliana]

Highly relatable.
Had me on the edge of my seat.

[Ashlyn Barker-Salyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think students would enjoy this book because they will get a kick out of the goats out-smarting the troll.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: A great classic tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff defeating a troll to get to the green grass on the other side.

Characteristics: A great, easy-to-read story to share a classic with kiddos. This kid-friendly version provides the reader with bravery, cleverness and sticking together as key ideas in the text.

Mentor Writing Traits:
Voice- The author does a great job of providing each character their own voice and personality throughout the text. The choice of descriptive words creates connection and engagement for all readers.
Sentence Fluency- This book is great for rhythm and flow during reading as well as great transitions and length of each paragraph. The author was creative in writing how each part of the story and does a wonderful job of wrapping up the story at the end.
Presentation- The author uses different font sizes and styles for important words throughout the book. This helps early readers identify how to read the story as well as provide an appealing look to the story.

Classroom Integration: This is a great classic book to teach students about character perspective and identity development. Each character can be looked at to determine how they are the same and different and which character traits each character portrays. This could also be used as a compare and contrast book lesson due to the fact that there are so many different versions of this story.

Reading Level: Level D/1.2

[Jack Groenheim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome!!!! I remember reading this as a kid and I could always relate because like the 3 Billy goats, I have two brothers. I loved the end of the story when they knock the troll in the river, however it could prove violent to share with younger children.

[Michaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary:
This classic story is about three clever billy goats that outsmart a mean troll.

Characteristics that Support the Genre:
This book is considered traditional literature because it is a story that has been told over and over again for many generations.

Mentor Writing Traits:
The words are carefully chosen to create the tone and mood, and the rhythm and flow of the language and the repetition of many words and phrases makes this book a concrete example of sentence fluency. This book can also be used to teach voice because the writing has a distinct personality that makes the story come alive. The voice allows the writing to connect with readers and makes readers feel emotion. The font and beautiful illustrations make this book a good example of presentation as well.

Classroom Integration: With plenty of repetition, this story is perfect for reading aloud to kindergarteners and giving them an opportunity to join in. Have students work in groups to practice retelling the story. Try having them retell the story from the troll's point of view. How might the troll change the story to make himself look better? Have groups act out and retell their revised versions of the story using different voices and gestures.

Other Suggestions: Use an easel pad to display pictures of the character and settings to provide a visual aid for students to look at throughout the lesson.

Grade Level: PreK-2
Guided Reading Level: I

[Hannah Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

i. This book is about 3 billy goats named Gruff who are all trying to cross a bridge to get themselves food on the other side. Under the bridge though, there lived a mean ugly troll who they would have to get by. The billy goats crossed the bridge starting from smallest to largest. When they crossed the bridge one at a time, they assured the troll the next one would be fatter to eat, until the last billy goat used his strength and horns to kick the troll back in the water. All 3 billy goats made it safely to the other side and ate all the grass and plants they desired.
ii. A major theme of this story is that you might come across an obstacle, but you can always overcome it, even if the solution doesn't come right away.
iii. This classic story is such a quick and easy read. There's not a lot of depth, but it's not needed because it's covers everything very clearly and concisely. It has every component a story needs while being very brief and accomplishing it all.
iv. I would recommend this book to all younger children. It's a story that is easy to understand for young kids and also very fun to read. I think kids would enjoy reading this and getting to see how the 3 goats overcome such an obstacle with their clever minds.

[Lauren Innes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary:
In a valley with very little grass to eat, lived 3 billy goats, who were all brothers, and all named “Gruff.” All 3 desired to flee to the nearby meadow, which had enough grass for them to all eat to their heart’s content. However, to get to the meadow, the 3 would have to cross over a bridge where a mean and ugly troll lurked beneath. Nonetheless, they all decide the venture would be worthwhile. The smallest of the 3 goats attempts to cross first. He encounters the troll, but convinces the troll to spare him on account that the next goat coming is bigger than he, and will therefore be more worthwhile to gobble up. The 2nd goat uses the same tactics as the first, and is also allowed to pass. It alas comes time for the 3rd and biggest Gruff to cross the bridge. He is not fearful of the troll, and exclaims to the troll with bravery, “Well, come along, I’ve got 2 big horns and four hard hooves, and I’m not afraid of you” (p.15). The final Gruff then uses his 2 big horns to butt the troll into the river below, and in doing so, he was alas free to join his brothers, who had already indulged in the plentiful amount of grass the meadow had to offer.

Response:
Overall, I enjoyed the traditional fantasy tale; however, I found the plot to be very repetitive and predictable. I also did not find the 4 characters in the story, the 3 billy goats or the mean, ugly troll, to be very inviting characters. Being from a more urban area, I could not really relate to goats, and quite frankly, I don’t find them the most appealing of animals, despite my love for animals. I also did not enjoy that the 2 billy goats that crossed the bridge first, and who had both turned on their brother(s) who had yet to cross, got away with their convincing tales they told the troll without any reconciliation for their not-the-most-friendly tactics used to get across the bridge. Instead of sticking together, the first 2 goats, upon encountering the troll, switched from a “we’re all in this together” mentality to an “every goat for himself” mentality, which I don’t think is the best moral to be portraying to young children. Though the final goat was shown in a strong moral light by not being afraid to stand up for himself against the bullying, mean troll, but little did he know, both of his younger brothers had in essence “thrown him under the bus.” Furthermore, the first 2 goats exhibited selfishness by disregarding the fate of the goats that remained, and in the end faced no consequence for their egotistical, manipulative, “abandon-ship” actions, except being able to eat as much grass from the plentiful meadow that they pleased. Though I found the story to be very original and possess its own quality, it was the lack of demonstration of good morals and character traits that made me a little displeased with the plot as a whole. Furthermore, I found myself relating to the oldest and biggest Gruff, because he was disadvantaged, and had it not been for his bravery against the troll, he would have been gobbled up, while his selfish younger brothers were ravishing in the grassy meadow without a care in the world. Being the oldest child in my family, I found myself sometimes feeling disadvantaged growing up, because of my placement in the child line-up. Being the oldest, I was usually taken care of last, since I was assumed to be the most mature and most able to be patient, and I also found myself assuming more responsibilities than my younger siblings. In a similar manner, the oldest Gruff had to exhibit the most patience in crossing the bridge last and almost had to make the ultimate sacrifice because of what his younger brothers had told to the troll. Furthermore, though I was able to relate to the oldest Gruff, I overall found myself disliking too many elements of this book to give it any more than 3 stars.

Classroom Connection:
(http://www.helium.com/items/2353300-e...) Students could work together in small groups to create a modern version of the story. Students would have to adapt the tale to 21st century times while staying true to the concept of the original story. By adapting this story to the modern day, students would be able to connect the story more to their personal lives and current trends that perhaps are more relatable than 3 goats and a troll. Students would also get practice in speaking and presentation skills, and incorporating the various necessary elements of a story, including characters, setting, plot, and problem and solution. I think this activity would be a good way to introduce the topic of bullying and after the plays are presented by each of the student groups a whole class discussion could take place regarding bullying in the classroom, in the school, and in the community and how bullying is not acceptable.

Text Complexity:
Though I couldn’t find a lexile, GLE, or guided reading level for my particular version of the traditional tale, I did search scholastic.com and compared other versions of the story. The average interest level of the other versions was geared towards kindergarten, and the average lexile range was around 340-500. With this in mind, I presume my version of the story would be suitable for kindergarteners and 1st graders. I would say this book would be a good read aloud option because of its minimal wording and corresponding pictures, and this book should be able to be read independently by those beginning reading in the 1st grade. This book offers much repetition of text, and would therefore support those students just beginning to read on their own.

[Andrea Bragdon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to read this book to my students!!!! I try to reread it and then show them how you can retell a book in the same way Native Americans tell stories. Years ago, I went to a conference for K-2 teachers. There was a storyteller who performed this story in a room full of adults. I was so intrigued! She had my attention from start to finish. I tell this story to my students, tapping my legs as I tell my students the goats are going over the bridge - trip trap, trip trap, trip trap. Awesome book to use in regards to bullying, also! A good way to get kids thinking about writing a sequel to this story...what happens next? :)

[Leah Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Stephen Carpenter is a fun, classic story that’s perfect for grades K-3. It’s about three billy goats who are trying to cross a bridge to reach some delicious green grass. The only problem is there’s a big, mean troll standing in their way. One by one, the goats have to outsmart the grumpy troll, leading to a clever and satisfying ending. I picked this book because it’s such a fun read-aloud that always gets kids excited. In class, students will love joining in on the “trip, trap, trip, trap” sounds and guessing what the troll will do next. It’s also a great way to talk about problem-solving, bravery, and thinking before you act.

[Joshua Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of my childhood favorites. I always enjoyed hearing the reader make the sounds that the goats made as they walked on the bridge and the different voices for the different characters. As a reader, it was very engaging to hear the different sounds.
As a teacher, this book is a good way to show how to read with expression and fluency. It's important, especially for this book to read with expression.

[Amanda Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the illustrations in this book and thought it was a pretty good lesson on courage and patience, although I wish the author had kept the "we're all in this together" mentality for the goats throughout the whole story. Instead, she kind of switched to a "you're on your own" mindset when two of the goats had crossed the bridge and one had been stuck behind. Overall, it's a pretty good book (just not a favorite) and I would keep it in my classroom.

[Tessa Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were once three billy goats (all named Gruff) who wanted to go up the mountain in order to get fatter, but in order to get to the mountain they had to cross the troll's bridge. The first goat went over the bridge and only managed to escape by promising the second biggest goat. Then the second biggest goat promised the troll the biggest goat. The biggest goat ended up fighting the troll and winning, so all the goats lived happily ever after.

[Abigail Breaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

A large, medium, and small sized goat are trying to pass a troll bridge. They head to the bridge one at a time and try to reason with the troll as to why he shouldn't eat them. All of the goats end up making it to the other side to enjoy their grass. They ate so much they got fat and lived happily ever after. This book is always a fun read and it would be good to have the class make predictions about what might happen to each goat and if they will be able to get passed the troll.

[James Potts · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not one of my favorites. I thought it did not keep my attention. I felt that the words just dragged on and it made it feel like this short book was double the length. The illustrations were very poorly drawn. This did not help trying to keep my attention. I would not recommend this book.

[Anthony Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for children they root for the goats to cross a bridge but a troll is in the way. They want the fresh grass on the other side. The ending is great and will for sure make the children happy and want to read again and again with beautiful illustration that separate the rest of the books from this one.

[Lori C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Children's Picture Book - Fairytale
Ages: PreK-2nd

This book is a childhood favorite and I've yet to meet a child who doesn't enjoy it. It is perfect for reader's theater as it is quite simple and multiple groups can act it out. The onomatopoeias are fun. The story is satisfying. The illustrations are cute and colorful. Great book!

[Katie Sproles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tale of fear vs bravery. For some, no bond, not even family, is strong enough when you are afraid for your life. I thought the books plot was short and predictable and could’ve been written better.

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this story as an audiobook, in the voice of Holly Hunter. She shared it with great drama and humor. The story is hilarious. It is a classic tale that everyone knows, but it is nice to review it occasionally. The wisdom is clear, and the tale is fun.

[Alana Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three clever billy goats outwit a big, ugly troll that lives under the bridge they must cross on their way up the mountain.

This is a great light hearted story that is great for problem solving skills. This is one young readers might already know.

[Benny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mom: 4 stars
Benny: 5 stars

While the illustrations were charming, I just can't get over how the last page was the back cover of the book. Lazy publishing. Otherwise fine. Can't go toooooo wrong with a classic story. Benny loved it, of course.

[Jennifer DeRosier]

I chose this book as one of my mentor texts because I think it is a great book to read while discussing the beginning, middle and end. This story has a lot of repetition so it will be easier for the students to understand what is going on.

[Kaitlynne Manley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely one of my favorite books from my childhood!

[Kaelin Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book. It's a humorous retelling of a classic bedtime story. This is perfect for kindergarteners who love folktales.

[Jessica Pinnick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great version of the classic

[Alyssa Ricard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so funny. It definitely shows that even if you think you're big strong there's always someone out there way bigger and stronger than you.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and clever story that teaches children a great lesson

[SB · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kiddos and I really liked this version. Very well done.

[Alaina Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Children would love it and find it humorous. The story line is funny. The illustrations are nice.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny little story about the 3 goats named Gruff who all cross the bridge in hopes of food. The troll tries to stop them but they are all smart and get passed.

[Carly MJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best kindergarten book for storytelling!