Me: Good story. Don't trust a male troll that only wants money and thinks he's handsome.

The Rabbit: *sleeping*

Guinea Pigs: *eating and sleeping* ( )

This book could be used in a lesson on work ethic and self confidence. Helga sets her mind to something and gets it done and realizes her self worth in the process which I think is important to young students.

Helga, the prettiest, but poorest troll in three parishes, wishes to marry the handsome troll Lars, but cannot do so due to her lack of a wedding dowry. Lars, being the selfish troll he is, decides to marry Inge because she does have a dowry, although she is not nearly as beautiful as Helga. Helga is devastated and decides to create her own dowry. Helga travels many miles completing tasks for other trolls in order to gain cows, gold, and land. Once Helga has achieved an even larger dowry than Inge, Lars comes running back to her. Helga this time turns down Lars stating that she wants "to be loved for who I am, not for what I've got!" ( )

I enjoyed this story because Helga the troll showed determination and ingenuity in earning a dowry of her own, and in the end she found a husband who liked her for reasons other than the dowry she'd collected. ( )

Another cute Cinderella story that teaching that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Great story for teaching sequencing. ( )