Troll Swap.

Troll Swap

Leigh Hodgkinson, author and illustrator

Nosy Crow

c/o Candlewick Press

99 Dover St., Somerville, MA 02144

9780763671013, $15.99, www.amazon.com

A neatnik troll and a loud, messy girl struggle to meet the narrow expectations of their divergent worlds in this picture book ode to loving ourselves.

The two switch places. The troll is thrilled to find himself living with the girl's clean, well-mannered parents. The girl is delighted to live underground alongside more typical, dirty, ill-mannered trolls.

Yet as time passes, both the troll's friends and the girl's parents miss their eccentric ways. And the troll and the girl discover that being like everyone around them is kind of boring.

So they switch back, offering a great message about accepting ourselves and others, as we are. Bold hues and sharp, modern lines offer an illustrative feel that is as unique, and divergent, as the characters and overall theme.

A stand-out story about how it's okay to be you.

Karyn L. Saemann, Reviewer

www.inkspotsinc.com