Today on the blog we’re spotlighting another Jan Brett book. She has so many wonderful titles so we selected some of our favorites to help teachers launch an author study in their classrooms. We love the clever character, named Treva, in this book and know students will too! Plus, what elementary kiddos don’t love a book about imaginary creatures like trolls? - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
SUMMARY
Trouble With Trolls by Jan Brett tells the story of a young girl named Treva. She is going to visit her cousins and must cross the mountain to get there.
Treva and her dog Tuffi start climbing up the mountain together, when they run into a troll. The troll grabs Tuffi and Treva must think quickly to save him. She decides to trick the troll into taking her mittens instead, it works! As they continue their hike they run into more trolls. Each time, Treva tricks the trolls into taking something else of hers instead of Tuffi.
When Treva and Tuffi reach the top of the mountain, they see all the trolls together. In order to get herself and Tuffi safely down the mountain Treva must trick the trolls again. She decides to trick them into believing that she can fly. Piece by piece she gets her clothing back and finally Tuffi. Treva “flies” down the mountain and away from the trolls on her skis while carrying Tuffi.
USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
We think Jan Brett makes a great choice for an author study because her books lend themselves to so many lessons. In my own classroom I use this book to teach reading comprehension, writing, grammar, vocabulary, and social emotional learning. Here are some examples of what I do with this title.
- Analyze the illustrations in the book. The pictures are one of the best parts of Jan Brett books, there is so much to discuss!
- Identify the genre of Trouble With Trolls. The mythical creatures in this book are a great way to talk about the fantasy genre.
- Practice “how to” writing by asking students to write their own step by step books.
- Teach students how to write a book review.
- Explore synonyms and action verbs.
- Introduce new examples of onomatopoeia with examples from the story.
- Discuss the importance of problem solving and perseverance.
NO-PREP PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES:
If you are looking for “ready to go” activities for the first day of school, be sure to check out the book companion. With it you’ll receive all of the following resources to align with this specific book:
- comprehension questions
- 30 writing prompts with themed paper
- vocabulary activities
- word study print & go activities
- ideas for grammar lessons with focus sentence printables
- social emotional learning discussion topics
- graphic organizers to target specific comprehension skills and strategies
Our goal with this resource was to make sure all students, no matter their reading skills, can participate in a shared read aloud. We know you will love it as much as we do!
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will also love these similar books:
- A Bad Case of the Stripes by David Shannon
- The Paper Boy by Dav Pilkey
- The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett
- Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
TRY OUT A SAMPLE COMPANION
It's hard to explain how amazing the Starts with a Story book companions are because there is just so much goodness included in each one. It's best if you experience using one for yourself. Sign up below & we'll send you an entire book companion to try out for FREE!
