ALA Booklist (Sun Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2002)

K-Gr. 2. Brett transports readers high above the Arctic Circle in this vivid, well-paced retelling of an old Norwegian folktale, a companion to her previous picture books Christmas Trolls (2000) and The Trouble with Trolls (1999). One Christmas Eve, a cold, hungry, Oslo-bound boy from Finnmark makes his way through the snow with his ice bear. Inside a distant hut, young Kyri prepares a delicious, aromatic holiday feast of sausage, fish, and tasty buns as she waits for her father to return home. Farther away (shown in one of Brett's trademark visually intricate insets), a ravenous troll sniffs the air to locate--and ultimately devour!-- Kyri's repast, just as he and his friends have every year. Children will be riveted by this suspenseful, happy-ending story of wanderers who Knockety knock, knockety knock at Kyri's door and the greedy, long-snouted trolls who munched and grunted, shrieked and cackled, splashed the cider, and crammed themselves with Christmas cakes. Gorgeous endpapers depicting night-sky constellations studded with trolls, bears, and other mythical symbols complement the exquisitely detailed winter-wonderland artistry within.

Horn Book (Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2003)

After young Kyri invites a boy traveling with his polar bear in from the cold, some trolls try to gain entry to Kyri's hut so that they can gobble up her Christmas feast. They break in, and after they eat, drink, and make merry, one troll awakens the polar bear, who chases the trolls into the Arctic night illuminated by the northern lights. The story is full of suspense and humor, and Brett's fine details heighten the drama.

Kirkus Reviews

<p>The solemn (and not too scary) polar bear gazing out from the cover of this latest offering from Brett (Daisy Comes Home, 2002, etc.) sets the tone for a tall tale of troll trouble based on a Norwegian folk tale. An older boy and his pet polar bear take shelter in the cozy mountain hut of a little girl named Kyri, who is worried that trolls will come to steal the Christmas Eve dinner as they have in years past. The naughty trolls do in fact tunnel in through the cellar and eat up the goodies before being chased away by the polar bear, awakened from his snooze under the stove. Brett makes good use of her signature touches: authentic cultural details in setting, costumes, and food; borders representing intricate handcrafted elements; and glimpses into actions happening on several fronts simultaneously through smaller side panels. The trolls and polar bears are incorporated into the midnight-blue sky at the top of each spread, as flickering images within the northern lights or as constellations, and the endpapers show an entire night sky with constellations made up of images from the story. Brett's many fans will enjoy sharing this on Christmas Eve, perhaps with a plate of Scandinavian heart-shaped cookies like those that Kyri baked. (Picture book. 4-8)</p>

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Knock knock. Who's there? More trolls to add to Brett's (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Christmas Trolls; <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Trouble with Trolls) canon. Apparently, the trouble with trolls is that they're always making trouble. Luckily, they never get any smarter. In this Arctic story, a shy Finnmark girl fends off lurking trolls with help from a traveling boy and his pet polar bear. An icy landscape shimmers under the northern lights while bright Scandinavian frocks and household items give the scenery a kicky dash of color. Brett simultaneously reveals another angle of her tale via intricately designed side panels that frame the main event. The lifelike polar bear, both hulking and docile, is a scene-stealer. Ages 4-8. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Sept.)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-In this story based on a traditional Norwegian folktale, a boy traveling from Finnmark to Oslo with his pet polar bear stops by Kyri's hut on Christmas Eve. The guests help to frighten away the trolls who come to wreak havoc and steal all of the holiday treats. The pleasure here lies mostly in the lush, richly textured illustrations, with Brett's distinctive borders that incorporate Norwegian folk motifs and trolls romping through skies lit by the Northern lights. Scenery aside, the children are rather one-dimensional, but the bear is handsome and heroic and the trolls satisfyingly ugly and naughty.-V. W. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.