Esio Trot & the Minpins :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

A little scary but satisfying

2008-04-15
When I first started reading this one to my 7-year-old I was little concerned that it might give him nightmares - it starts off a bit scary. The devil whispers in the little boy's ear, he goes into the Forest of Sin, and then is chased by a terrifying monster who wants to eat him... but it eventually comes around and the little boy and the Minpins (the tiny people who inhabit the forest) eventually kill the terrifying monster rather easily. It's a very satisfying story for a 7-year-old boy (or a 40-year-old mom for that matter) it seems to have a little of everything and the illustrations are beautiful, too. Plus, I think it's just the right length. We read it in two nights.

Amazing Book!!!!!!

2007-12-08
I think this book is very cool. It has lots of amazing adventures with Little Billy. I recommend this book to you because it is very good. I have read a lot of Roahl Dahl books, and this is my very favorite!!!

sweet and fun with lovely illustrations

2006-12-06
A short and cute picture book, The Minpins is one of Dahl's more younger-child-friendly stories. It features protagonist Billy, an adventurous and brave boy who enters the dangerous woods alone.

Billy's allies are little people that live in trees and climb about using green suction boots. His mother tells him not to venture into the woods, where children and others disappear, but he disobeys and goes. There, he helps the Minpins by killing the Gruncher monster. Like the story of Alice in Wonderland, he returns to the real world, but continues to go, flying on the back of a swan each night.

The pictures are sweet, the words Dahl invents are fun to say, and the imagery is fun.

Cool Book!

2005-12-03
When Billy's mom says scary warnings to him about the woods, he wants to find out for himself. The next day, he goes to the woods and sees the Minpins.

OK, but another of Dahl's is likely better

2005-05-16
From the overhead picture on the cover to its conclusion, there's enough of Dahl's trademark silliness and creativity to satisfy a fan, but all within a not particularly compelling tale of a youngster who escapes his household confines, goes into the forbidden forest beyond, and discovers the Minpins, tree-dwelling miniature people unknown to the outside world. They have adapted to their world's major danger, the unseen fire-breathing Gruncher, who is making Billy's leaving the trees impossible because our hero must also avoid it. Probably a more than acceptable read to a middle elementary school child reading long picture books, it falls short of Dahl's longer books for older kids or his hysterical and bawdy adult books.

Great book!

2001-12-20
When Little Billy ignores his mother's warnings about the wild beasts in the Forest of Sin, he meets the Minpins, miniature people who own the forest and live in the trees. Little Billy vanquishes the worst monster of all and becomes a hero to the Minpins.

Wonderful Ronald Dahl Imagination!!!

2001-11-15
My 6 year old loves this book! Brought it home from the library again and it was the first one she picked up. This is typical of Ronald Dahl's amazing imagination, the little people with homes inside the trees and using the birds to travel; it's wonderful! I would recommend this book for most children, though for some, the beast at the beginning may be a little scary. It's a great "read to" book.

Just lovely to imagine when you look at the trees

2000-09-06
I really like the idea of postage stamp-sized windows and doors opening in a huge tree, and tiny people in suction-cup boots walking out and strolling through the ceiling of the forest. I like the idea of a swan big enough to carry a not-so-small boy while flying. "And above all, watch with glittering eyes the world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."

This is a great fantasy book!

2000-07-05
This book starts with a mother forbidding her son to enter the "Forest of Sin." Will he find monsters, friends or both? Many interesting things happen on the night adventures that young Billy takes. Does anyone know about them? This is Roald Dahl's only picture book. It has been beautifully illustrated by Patrick Benson who resides in England. Let this book take you on a trip with little people and an adventure you will not soon forget.

This is a great fantasy book!