The youngest of three brothers, Boots is made to do all of the nastiest chores around the farm by his elders in this picture-book retelling of a Norwegian folktale. When Midsummer comes, he is sent to guard his father's field against the mysterious pillager that had come in the night, in previous years. With the steel tinderbox given to him by his mother, he tames the magical white troll horse which appears, going on to do the same the following year, and the one after that. With gorgeous white, chestnut and black stallions, and three beautiful suits of armor—made of copper, silver and gold, respectively—Boots wins the hand of the king's daughter, offered to the man who can ride up a glass mountain to fetch her, and her three golden apples...

Having greatly enjoyed author Claire Martin's only other picture-book—The Race of the Golden Apples, which retells the myth of Atalanta and her race with Hippomenes—I was looking forward to Boots & The Glass Mountain, especially as I love illustrator Gennady Spirin's artwork. I was not disappointed, finding the story here engaging, and the illustrations beautiful. Although there was no author's note regarding source (a disappointment), WorldCat lists this with the subject heading "Folklore-Norway," leading me to believe it is a retelling of Jomfruen på glassberget (The Princess on the Glass Hill), collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in their Norske Folkeeventyr (Norwegian Folktales). There are many variants of this tale type from around Europe, and it seems to have been particularly popular in Germany, Poland and Russia. In any case, I found this telling quite entertaining, although Martin appears to have added a troll element not present in the original. Recommended to young fairy and folktale enthusiasts, and to any reader who appreciates beautiful picture-book art. ( )