Helga's Dowry: A Troll Love Story

This is a simple children's book that has the feel of an old Norwegian fairytale, with cameo appearances from one-eyed odin and the trolls of scandinavian folklore. Helga is a troll who takes matters into her own hands and creates a dowry for herself to marry by...to hilarious result. Cited by some as a work of feministic fairytale but really just a great tale with an awesome moral, this is a must for any child's bookshelf, girl or boy. Your kids will remember it all their lives: I haven't seen the cover in 20 years, but I pictured it perfectly just before I searched for this page. J. Lyon Layden The Other Side of Yore

A spunky but impoverished female troll wants to marry, but she needs a dowry to do it--so she gets to work. This is a great, funny variation on your usual fairy tale. Helga is a determined, hard-working heroine, who is rewarded for solving her own problems. The story is pretty simple, but obviously it's a good message. This is a great book for little girls who will soon be reading chapter books about princesses who rescue themseves. There may be lots of chapter books with active heroines, but it's a pretty rare find for picture books. We need more stories like this one. Of course, since it's by Tomie De Paola, the illustrations are great, too.

This story is about Helga, Lars, Old Sven, and Inge. Helga is a troll who wants to get married to Lars. She can't marry Lars because she has no dowry (or any property, like a house, cows, or money) because she is a orphan. So, Lars decides that he is going to ask Old Sven wat to do. Old Sven says that he should marry his daughter, Inge. Lars says that he will marry her, but he will wait for Helga to come back with some dowry. Helga decides to go to the Land of People to get some money or dowry. She works for the people and gets what she needs, except land to live on. She is almost done with the task she had to do, but the Inge did something that made her stop. To find out what happens, read the book! I think that overall, this book was good. I especially love the ending.

I can't tell you how much I love Tommie dePaola for giving us a heroine that young girls can hope to emulate. Helga does not need a Prince to give meaning to her life. She HAS a life! And, she is complete on her own and within herself. You GO, Girl!

A great story about true love. Is true love a good dowry, or caring about someone? Typically great illustration from Tomie De Paola.