What is From Goats Gruff to Glory?

‘From Goats Gruff to Glory’ is one of the funniest books to appear in 2013.  (Click the link to find it on Amazon.com).  It appeals equally to adults and children and is already being hailed as the next big thing in literature. A sequel to the traditional Troll and Goats tale that conjures up a saga making ‘Harry Potter’ pedestrian and has been described as a turbo-charged version of ‘Lord of the Rings’ and the worthy successor to ‘Beowulf’.

This is a quote from the 'New York Times' or was it 'Time' Magazine? (Or perhaps it was me?).  Anyway, so far there are THREE five star reviews plus TWO four star reviews on Amazon.com.

Find out how lazy, stinky Eric the Troll is discovered by a female troll more formidable than the Iron Lady herself, is forced into marriage, uprooted from his bridge, and transformed into a successful citizen and a local hero.

This is the latest cover

This is the original Cover thrown together by  Rik

Here you’ll discover an exotic world full of strange characters from Boris the Spider with a head for PR and copyrighting to ‘Cheesy‘ Spread, a chimpanzee with a whole raft of dodgy business enterprises including a media empire that aspires to rival News International. And don’t forget Roger a young goat with a personal fortune built on a goat sponsorship scam, and you have a book you just can’t put down.

The seeds of this book began when my own children demanded spontaneous bedtime stories. If you have children or care for other people’s and you dare to tell them stories, then you quickly learn what works and what doesn’t.

Children are surprisingly creative and quickly build their own narratives but rely on the adult story teller to be the custodian of their imaginings.

“Tell us about the Magic Time Trousers or Eric the Troll,” they scream at you when you try to say goodnight and tuck them in.

They adore stories that are linked to their own popular culture. They love hearing about other children who are in dysfunctional families, go to school, have parties or go on holiday. If those children happen to be animals or live on a different planet, it doesn’t matter a bit as long as the listeners can identify with the experiences of the characters.