I started reading graphic novels a few years ago and have
enjoyed them very much. It’s nice to be able to squeeze a short book into the
cracks between my longer reads and linger over the pictures. Bera the One-Headed Troll by Eric
Orchard (I believe the first graphic novel by this picture book
author/illustrator) is a fun, unique, and warm adventure story for
middle-graders about a humble, kind-hearted troll.
Bera the troll is a bit ugly-looking, with her sharp teeth,
pointy ears, and pupil-less eyes, but she has a big heart. She lives on a small
island all by herself, with her owl, Winslowe, for company. She is the official
pumpkin gardener of the Troll King and is just finishing up her annual harvest
of pumpkins when the story opens. After seeing off the foxes in a boat that
came to deliver her harvest to the King, Bera hears a strange wailing sound.
She follows it to the other side of the island and discovers a human baby
floating in a pot, being fought over by some cruel mermaids (yes, in this
story, mermaids are ugly, nasty things).
Bera finds out that the evil Cloote, former Head Witch of
the Troll King, is after the baby, so she decides to keep the human baby safe.
She doesn’t know what to do with a human baby and is only a humble pumpkin
gardener, so she and Winslowe travel across the water to the main islands to
consult Wulf the Dragon Master, even though Bera has never been off her tiny
island before. She and Winslowe – with the baby – set off on their adventure,
seeking the expert advice of one legendary hero after another.
Bera and Winslowe continue their quest to return the baby to
the human village, even though one hero after another seems unable to help.
Little by little, Bera realizes that maybe she
is the hero this baby needs, as they continue traveling. The threesome
encounters all sorts of dangerous creatures and even gets some unexpected help
(my favorite good guys are the hedgehog brothers). The ending is very
satisfying.
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| A page from Bera the One-Headed Troll by Eric Orchard |
Bera makes a wonderfully unexpected, kind heroine. I loved
her right from the start! It’s a very creative story that the author says was
inspired by Norse fairy tales and illustrations by Arthur Rackham and Maurice
Sendak. The pages of the book are covered with imaginative drawings, done
mostly in shades of brown, with some occasional splashes of yellow. I enjoyed
this delightful graphic novel from beginning to end. It’s the best kind of
adventure story, where the hero doesn’t know she’s a hero and discovers herself
on her journey.
This book is labeled for ages 7 – 10 and might work well as
a read-aloud for slightly younger kids, too.
126 pages, First Second Books
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