- Picture Books
- Ages 4–8
- Everyday Life
The Boy, the Troll and the Chalk
A gentle, imaginative picture book about a boy using art and courage to face a troll-like bully. It is especially useful for conversations about fear, kindness, self-belief and the power of drawing.
- Best for4–8
- FormatPicture
- Length40 pp
- Read aloud~8 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Lyrical
- Conversational
Tone
- Gentle
- Warm
- Heartwarming
- Thought provoking
- Whimsical
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
A boy is frightened by a troll, but a piece of chalk gives him a way to respond. Through drawing, imagination and quiet courage, he begins to transform the situation and find a different kind of strength. Anne Booth's story uses a fairy-tale figure to explore a real childhood fear: the feeling of being intimidated, diminished or bullied. David Litchfield's illustrations bring warmth and atmosphere to the emotional journey, making the chalk drawings feel like a bridge between inner fear and outward bravery. The book is not a noisy monster adventure; it is a thoughtful, reassuring story about finding agency when something feels too big to face. It should work well for children who respond to art, gentle fantasy and stories where the solution is not force, but imagination and empathy.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 4–8
- Read aloud · 4–8
- Independent · 6–9
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Workable
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: bullying, scary imagery.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Bullying support
- Art and feelings
- Gentle fantasy
- Beautiful illustrations
- Sensitive children
Avoid if
- Very sensitive to bullying
- Wants light funny read
- Wants fast action
Particularly good for children who are…
- Being bullied
- Low self esteem
- Anxiety and worry
- Interested in art and creativity
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A gentle, beautifully illustrated read-aloud about meeting fear with kindness — a lovely prompt for talk about empathy and courage.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific weight is the chalk — a boy intimidated by a troll-like bully, a piece of chalk giving him a different kind of response, drawing turning into a bridge between his fear and his courage. The Booth/Litchfield picture book for the child facing something too big to face head-on.
- Making a difference
- Magic powers
- Transformation
- Surviving danger
Why parents love it
The Anne Booth / David Litchfield picture book — bullying-and-fear handled through art and imagination rather than force, the fairy-tale figure giving real childhood fear a manageable shape. Litchfield's atmospheric warmth at full strength. Useful for the kindness-as-strength conversation.
- Conversation starter
- Beautiful illustrations
- Bedtime appropriate
- Great writing
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Where you’ll find it
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
When you buy through the links above, we may earn a small commission — it never costs you more, and it never changes the books we choose. How we’re funded →