The Toll-Bridge Troll

The Toll-Bridge Troll

Patricia Rae Wolff

APA Citation:Wolff, P., & Root, K. (1995). The toll-bridge troll. San Diego: Browndeer Press.

Group Member: Elyse Romanovich

Book Category: Picture Book

Summary: The Toll-Bridge Troll, written by Patricia Rae Wolff is a spin-off story of the traditional tale of The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Like in the original tale, there is an ugly, scary troll living underneath a bridge that inhibits anyone to cross, unless he is outsmarted. However, in this tale, it is not three goats trying to cross but instead a young boy, named Trigg, on his way to school. The troll stops the boy every morning when he reaches the bridge, and claims he cannot pass without paying the troll first. Thinking fast, the boy asks if he can ask a riddle instead. Each morning, the boy cleverly tricks the troll, with math, or riddles, and the troll says that his mom is mad that the boy continues to trick him. Finally, one day the troll tells that his mother told him to go to school with Trigg, so that he could get an education as well. This story is different from the original version because both the boy and the troll have respect for their mothers and want to please them, which is why Trigg tries to get past the troll and go to school, and why the troll decides to go to school with the boy.

Standard: 3.RL.2.2 Retell folktales, fables, and tall tales from diverse cultures; identify the themes in these works.

Activity: The students will be asked to put themselves in Trigg's shoes. They would need to write a response that includes three ways they would try to trick the Toll-Bridge troll. There response should include at least one riddle and at least one other method of getting past the troll.

Objective: The students will be able to empathize with the main character of the story, as well as create their own scenario for handling the protagonist of the story.