Trolls came down out of Norway and Sweden with a very specific job description: live under the bridge, live inside the mountain, come out at night, and turn to stone the moment the sun catches you. They are the rare folklore monster with rules, which is exactly why five-year-olds love them — a troll cannot simply appear anywhere, he has to be somewhere, and the somewhere is usually under the thing you are about to walk across. Every child meets the same one first, waiting beneath a bridge for three goats with an escalating negotiating strategy, and most of them want to know immediately what else trolls do when there are no goats around.
Bookroo's collection of 80 troll books answers that, from the trip-trapping picture books a kindergarten class acts out to a 459-page Norse epic. Our editors picked 14 favorites: four Billy Goats Gruff retellings worth putting side by side — the classroom standard, the funny modern one, a bilingual version, and one narrated by the troll — plus the d'Aulaires' field guide to Norwegian troll kinds, Jan Brett's mountain trolls, Astrid Lindgren's gentle farm tomte, Tove Jansson's Moomintrolls, and Luke Pearson's Hilda, who draws trolls rather than running from them. The DreamWorks Trolls tie-ins are on the shelves below too, if that is the door your child came in through. Start with the shortlist, then browse by age.
Trip, trap, trip, trap over the wooden bridge — and something enormous is listening from underneath.
A very hungry troll narrates his goat dinner plans in loving detail. The goats have plans of their own.
Hilda sits down to sketch a mountain troll, dozes off, and wakes to find the troll has moved.
Enter a night-world where trolls of all kinds weave their bizarre magic.
Treva has to get her dog up Mount Baldy, and every troll on the mountain wants to keep him.
Moomintroll carries milk home through the woods, and a die-cut hole on every page shows what is coming next.
Trolls threaten a Christmas feast, but an unexpected ally changes everything.
The tomte does his rounds of a snowbound Swedish farm, and tonight a hungry fox is doing rounds too.
A ghost, witch, and troll try to scare a brave girl. Who will win?
Three cabritos plan to trick the troll under the puente — until one of them asks why he is so grumpy.
The troll would like it on the record that the goats started it, and that his bridge is extremely cool.
Hilda wakes up in a troll's body while a city prepares to wipe the trolls out.
A witch has a troll locked up with the rest of her collection, and Red is going to get him out.
Enslaved by Vikings, two siblings face mythical beasts on a daring quest.
Bridges, billy goats, snowbound Norwegian farms, and one troll who insists he has been misquoted — read-alouds for ages 4–8.
Moomins awaken to discover the mystery of Christmas.
Explore chilling poems that bring ghouls and vampires to life.
A mischievous creature steals eggs until a prickly surprise changes everything.
A queen's birthday party lacks joy until an unexpected guest teaches her the magic of sharing.
Three goats face a fearsome troll to cross a bridge. Will they succeed?
A runaway troll discovers the true meaning of home just in time for Christmas.
Three goats must outsmart a fearsome troll.
Join a griffin pride on a magical counting adventure in a realm of mythic creatures.
Three goats must escape a video game dungeon or become a troll's lunch.
Two Trolls embark on a daring adventure beyond their world.
A troll faces unexpected challenges from three clever goats.
Three classic tales come alive with unexpected twists and vibrant art.
Hilda's mountain trolls, fairy-tale rescue squads, troll-lore collections, and short series for readers who want a monster per chapter — ages 6–11.
A girl must choose between saving a friend or risking everything on a magical train journey.
A girl and her mom must navigate a troll land, facing unexpected transformations.
Embark on whimsical adventures with Hilda and Twig in a world full of surprises.
A troll becomes a human boy in Chicago, facing a magical identity crisis.
Embark on whimsical adventures with Hilda and Twig in a world full of surprises.
A prince's brother is kidnapped by trolls, and magic is forbidden. Can love survive the chaos?
Wiglaf faces pranks from a troll buddy and rumors of a dragon in the woods. Truth or trick?
Can dragon-slaying trainees outsmart a witch's curse to save a knight?
A princess, a knight-in-training, and a dragon team up to help those in need and complete a Quest of Kindness.
A mysterious woman threatens the carnival. Can kids outsmart her before chaos ensues?
A boy discovers his true heroism on an unexpected adventure.
A mountain quest under the Northern Lights to earn a magical crystal.
