Childrens Book Review of Stolen Thunder: A Norse Myth Retold by Shirley Climo and Alexander Koshkin

Those who specialize in the ultimate origins of words disagree on the original meaning and source of the Norse mythological designation Mjölnir. Does the ancient derivation of its multiple spellings translate into English as “hammer,” “lightning,” “lightning-bolt,” “stone tool,” or “thunderbolt”? Whatever the primal etymology, the name gathers all of the above-mentioned meanings together for the Norse thunder god Thor and his short-handled hammer. Thor indeed identifies as responsible for his super-strength the combined accessibility of:

• Járngreipr (iron gloves);
• Megingjörð (power-belt);
• Mjölnir.

He knows that Mjölnir exists because of Loki’s challenging the dwarves Brokkr and Sindri to rival the Sons of Ivaldi’s inventions of:

• Gungnir (spear) for all-father god Odin;
• Skíðblaðnir (foldable boat) for fertility god Freyr.

So Thor quickly blames Loki when Mjölnir goes missing. Loki can be counted on to play games with the truth. But he dislikes being accused of a monumental theft for which another is the perpetrator and he is not a beneficiary. He follows the thunderous hammer’s trail to Asgard’s envious enemy, Jotunheim’s King of the Frost Giants. He gets Thrym to agree to exchange Mjölnir for Freya, Asgard’s goddess of beauty and love. The transfer has to be made at Freya’s and Thrym’s wedding celebrations. Thrym is so awed by Freya’s blonde tresses and muscular shoulders that he produces as a wedding gift Mjölnir. Clean-shaven Thor then stops his Freya imitation. He strikes Thrym with a thunderbolt.

Stolen Thunder: A Norse Myth benefits from the experience and expertise of:

• Clarion Books, as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers imprint of fiction, non-fiction, and picture books for children and young adults, from infancy through grade 12;
• Shirley Beistle Climo (1928 - 2012), as reteller;
• Alexander Koshkin (born 1952), as illustrator.

The acrylic, gouache, tempera, and watercolor artwork of the Russian-born artist blend as beautifully in this 1994-released publication with its charmingly humorous retelling by the Ohio-born author as they do in the duo’s Atalanta’s Race by the same publishing company and of the same publishing date. The myth’s update cooperates with cultural enrichment-, educational entertainment-seeking readers:

• Aged 8 – 12+;
• Grades third through seventh grade.

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Mariatorget ("Maria Square"), Södermalm, Stockholm, southeastern Sweden: Holger.Ellgaard, CC BY SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tors_fiske_2009a.jpg

Loki as depicted in SÁM 66 (Stofnun Árna Magnússonar á Íslandi), an 18th-century manuscript held at the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, Reykjavik, Iceland.
Image turned, cropped, and colour-corrected with The GIMP Version 1.2.3. by Haukur Þorgeirsson (Haukur): Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Processed_SAM_loki.jpg

Scandinavian mountains, Sogn og Fjordane and Oppland counties, southern Norway: Jack R. Johanson, CC BY SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jotun600.jpg

Shirley Climo retellings: View on Amazon @ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0395643686/?tag=page0b-20

Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, southeastern Sweden: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mårten_Eskil_Winge_-_Tor's_Fight_with_the_Giants_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

National Museum of Iceland, Reykjavik, southwestern Iceland: Wolfgang Sauber, CC BY SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reykjavik_-_Thor-Figur_1.jpg

Climo, Shirley. 1994. Stolen Thunder: A Norse Myth. Illustrated by Alexander Koshkin. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company’s Clarion Books imprint.

Ridgeway, Eliza. 5 September 2012. “Shirley Climo: Author Enchanted Generations.” Los Altos Town Crier: People > Sections > Obituaries. Retrieved December 16, 2014.

• Available at: http://www.losaltosonline.com/people/sections/obituaries/42414-J43961