Norway: The Three Sisters Who Fell Into the Mountain

This entry in Schlessinger Media's 39-volume Animated Tales of the World series of multicultural folktales aimed at grades 3-6 presents an entertaining stop-motion animated Norwegian yarn revolving around a trio of sisters who are alarmed one morning when their mother's hen (source of both their food and their livelihood) turns up missing. After both of the older sisters disappear while searching for the wayward fowl, the youngest daughter Mai—warned by her mom about nocturnal mountain trolls—embarks on a quest to find and rescue her siblings, only to discover that a troll asked both gals to be his “sweetheart” and after being rejected turned them into stone. Drawing on her courage and ingenuity, Mai takes a very different tact to mollify the beast. DVD extras include discussion questions and activities. Other titles in the series include: China: The Magic Paintbrush, England: Cap O' Rushes, Namibia: Omuninyan, Taiwan: Aunt Tiger, and U.S.A.: John Henry—Steel-Driving Man. Recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (J. Williams-Wood)