The can-do heroine from the acclaimed The Little Red Fort returns in this fresh, feminist spin on The Three Billy Goats Gruff . "Readers will happily discover that trip-trapping to friendship and cooperation is indeed a pie-worthy prize." -- Kirkus Reviews Ruby's mind is always full of ideas. One day, she spies some blueberries across the creek and invites her brothers to pick some. Unfortunately, the bridge is blocked by scary Santiago. "I'm the boss, and you can't cross... unless you give me a snack," he demands. One by one, the brothers scamper across, promising Santiago that the next sibling has a better snack. When at last it's Ruby's turn, she refuses to be bullied and creates her own way to cross the creek. This modern spin on a classic tale weaves folklore, feminism, STEM, and a Latinx cast into a delightful read-aloud that celebrates creativity and building bridges of friendship and community. K-Gr 3-This reimagining of the Norwegian story of the three billy goats gruff replaces animals with four children who want to cross a log over a river to get to where the blueberries grow. Even though it is Ruby's idea, her three older brothers run off without her. On the bridge, they encounter Santiago, a disheveled bully of a boy who wants a snack in exchange for letting them cross the river. The mischievous brothers tell Santiago that their sister has the best snacks and scamper across the log. By the time Ruby arrives, she decides to build her own bridge. Santiago gets mad and falls into the water. He then helps Ruby build the bridge and together they cross to eat blueberries together, even though nothing was stopping him from eating them before. No context is given as to why an apparently homeless, hungry boy is in the role of the evil toll-taking troll; we only know he is alone on a log, and craving a snack. The book's final statement is that with Ruby's bridge, still guarded by Santiago, now everyone can cross the creek. It's an ineffective message, given that Ruby's brothers had no problem. Sánchez's illustrations are dynamic and colorful; she shows Ruby and her brothers each as a different shade of brown, while Santiago is more pale and pink-cheeked. The characters' poses and facial expressions are charming. Back matter shows different types of bridges and features an author's note about the history of the original story. VERDICT There are many other versions of this folktale in print, making this an unnecessary purchase; however, fans of the author's previous outing, The Little Red Fort, may want to take a look.-Chance Lee Joyner, Haverhill P.L., MAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Praise for The Little Blue Bridge : "Following The Little Red Fort (2018), Maier and Sánchez are back with another bicultural take on a favorite folktale: “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.” The feisty Latina protagonist, red boots and all, is still being sidetracked by her older brothers, but... neither Ruby’s size nor gender is an obstacle to success... A fun read-aloud." -- Kirkus Reviews "Sánchez’s colorful, mixed-media illustrations often use loose scribbles that cast an appropriately childlike energy over the story. Many positive qualities are demonstrated here, including problem solving, tenacity, self-confidence, and helpfulness, making this a worthwhile refresh of a classic with a slight Latinx twist." -- Booklist Praise for The Little Red Fort : A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year A Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year One Book Colorado 2020 Winner * "The Little Red Hen gets an appealing girl-power update... Young makers of all genders will be inspired." -- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books , starred review "Maier judiciously adapts one of the best nursery stories, keeps it simple, and makes it her own. The upbeat mixed-media illustrations are nicely varied in composition and perspective. A lively picture book that's fun to read aloud." -- Booklist "[Sánchez's] textured illustrations and sense of humor add depth to each dynamic scene. Throughout the story, Maier's little Latina go-getter breaks gender and cultural stereotypes... empowering." -- Kirkus Reviews "Maier's girl-power-meets-classic-folktale story line is engaging and entertaining. Sánchez's colorfully patterned and textured illustrations give dimension to a determined and endearing pigtailed heroine and her realistic multigenerational, multi-skin-toned family." -- The Horn Book "Perfect for storytime or one-on-one sharing. It also reminds girls that they can do whatever they set their minds to do." -- School Library Journal "Exuberance on every page." -- Publishers Weekly "The repetition of key words and the predictable narrative would make this book excellent for reading aloud... The warmly colored illustrations with pops of red are... a fitting style for a book about one child's cre