norway

A collection of seven Norwegian folktales from various historical and international sources, all featuring trolls and showing how even small children can trick them. Includes an introduction explaining what trolls are and how they came to be.

"Asle is an aging painter and widower who lives alone on the west coast of Norway. His only friends are his neighbor, ?sleik, a traditional fisherman-farmer, and Beyer, a gallerist who lives in the city. There, in Bj?rgvin, lives another Asle, also a painter but lonely and consumed by alcohol. Asle and Asle are doppelg?ngers--two versions of the same person, two versions of the same life"-- Provided by publisher.

Retells, with a southwestern United States setting, the traditional tale about three billy goat brothers who trick a beast that lives under the bridge.

Told in rhyming text, a majestic pine journeys from Norway to become London's Christmas tree. Includes a historical note explaining the annual tradition.

In this retelling of the Norwegian tale, a traveler from Finnmark and his polar bear help scare away the trolls that harass Halvor and his family every Christmas Eve.

What if we were all just characters from a book written by Major Albert Knag as a philosophical present for his daughter Hilde's 15th birthday? This is the question that Sophie Amundsen must ask as she tackles the history of philosophy in what begins as a personalized correspondence course for which she never signed up. Coming home from school one day, Sophie finds questions in her mailbox, followed by typewritten pages about philosophy. She also gets strange birthday cards apparently intended for a Hilde Moller Knag in Lillesand, whom she has never met. Through these unusual circumstances, Sophie embarks on the study of philosophy with Alberto Knox -- a middle-aged mystery man in a beret -- only to discover that she is nothing more than the fictional heroine of a novel (called Sophie's World) about the history of philosophy. Hilde, on the other hand, whom we meet halfway through the book, appears to be a real girl whose father has written a novel entitled Sophie's World. She in turn learns about philosophy by reading about Sophie's study of philosophy, never suspecting that she is merely a character in a book -- Sophie's World -- written by a philosophy teacher named Jostein Gaarder to teach teenagers the beauty of philosophical discourse. In this long, self-referential novel (to use the word loosely), Gaarder presents philosophy in a clear, cogent way, using Sophie's and Hilde's experiences to illustrate his points. The reader who is expecting something other than a creative textbook, however, will be disappointed. Maybe Gaarder can fool Norwegian youths into learning philosophy, but savvy American kids won't be so easily hoodwinked. Index.

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

"In 1943, Jan Baalsrud traversed the icy mountains and fjords of Nazi-occupied Norway. The journey was fraught with danger, but Baalsrud received plenty of help along the way. This graphic nonfiction title traces his treacherous voyage, including his interactions with the Nazis, his battle with the elements, and his journey to safety. Actual quotes bring history to the page, a map shows off Baalsrud's route, and a timeline helps readers trace his path to survival"--Provided by publisher.