The Littlest Viking

Starred review from November 13, 2017
A young Viking with a knack for storytelling steps into new roles when he gains a baby sister. “What’s this? A fair maiden?” asks Penfold (We Are Brothers, We Are Friends). “No, a warrior princess!” Roxas (Let Me Finish!) shows the scruffy infant glaring cockeyed from underneath a blanket—before she lets loose with a giant wail. (Scrawled in spiky, capitalized letters, the baby’s cries of “WAAAH!” scream across the pages, evoking both Scandinavian runes and sonic daggers.) When nothing else works, older brother Sven seizes on his love of stories to lull the baby to sleep with a tale of “fantastic voyages and epic feasts and all the adventures they would have.” Penfold folds in fun ancient analogues to tried-and-true methods of appeasing cranky little ones (“She was not amused by shiny plunder. A ride on the great ship did not soothe her”), and Roxas’s liberal use of a color perhaps best described as neon snot brings a punk edge to her scenes of Viking family life. Irreverent yet tender. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Susan Ginsburg, Writers House. Illustrator’s agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties.

December 15, 2017
The smallest member of a Viking family rules the roost--until a new little warrior princess comes along.Little Sven may be, but in this sparely related episode he has the loudest cries, the fiercest bite, and if he feels like pillaging his massive dad's dinner plate...well, no one will stand against him. He also loves telling stories so much that everyone stops to listen. This last comes in handy after his place in the clan is usurped by a scowling, redheaded, even smaller new arrival with an even louder cry--and when no one else can make the "warrior princess" settle down, it's his tales of two small rovers setting out on epic adventures that bring peace to the flummoxed Nordic household. Looking diminutive indeed among the towering, haystack-shaped adults in Roxas' green and gold scenes, Sven and the princess go on to develop so firm an alliance that at the end he's proudly outfitting her with a helmet and shield of her own, showing nary a trace of sibling rivalry or jealousy. Children will enjoy such details as Sven's dog, who demonstrates its distress in parallel with Sven's white family.Martial aspects notwithstanding, a warm tale of family togetherness. (Picture book. 5-7)

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February 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 2-Sven is the littlest, loudest Viking, until he's usurped by a warrior princess. Young Sven screams and bites and terrorizes, steals food, and boldly takes whatever he wants from the burliest Viking. But best of all, he likes to tell stories of battles and voyages. Enter the littlest warrior princess, who can outscream him. Now no one wants to hear Sven's stories. Adults are at their wits' end; how can they get the princess to stop her ear-piercing cries? Young readers will revel in watching the children run rings around the adults. With images that harken to Norse mythology, Roxas creates muted, soft gouache and colored pencil illustrations with a Scandinavian feel. Penfold's storytelling is full of surprises; when staring down at the baby, villagers ask, "What's this? A fair maiden?" Page turn reveals, "No, a warrior princess!" The "Waaah!!" full-page scream that repeats throughout the tale is both anticipated and raucous. Read aloud with preschoolers if you dare-think David Shannon's No, David! The use of loaded words such as plunder and pillage strike a discordant note that may make some adults wince. But the narrative draws a fine balance between Viking life and the universality of a child's world; even the littlest warrior likes to play dress-up. VERDICT A spirited tale about stopping a tantrum with a story, perfect for storytime or one-on-one sharing.-Sarah Webb, City and Country School Library, NY

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