The Bridge-Builder Troll
Ben meets a troll by the river who does not guard bridges at all. He draws them, and then he builds one just for Ben.
Ages 4 to 63 minute read10 illustrated pages


Ben stood by the big river. He wanted to go to the other side to play. But the water was wide and flowed fast.

Then Ben saw something new. A big troll sat on the riverbank! This troll was named Stones.

Stones was drawing with a small, blunt pencil. Stones was not guarding the river.

Ben got very brave and walked right up. Stones looked up from his flat grey stone and smiled. Stones had kind amber eyes.

Stones showed Ben his drawings. They were pictures of bridges! Big bridges and little bridges. Stones loved to build things.

Ben pulled his small wooden boat from his pocket. He said, 'I want to cross the big river to play!'

Stones looked at the big river. He looked at Ben's small wooden boat. Stones had a great idea!

Stones started to build. He used his heavy wooden mallet. Bang! Clank! He worked fast and strong.

Soon, a small long wooden bridge stretched over the water. It was strong and new! Stones made a great bridge.

Ben walked across his new bridge. He waved to Stones. Stones waved back. Ben found a new friend and a way to play!
The end.
Talk about it after reading
- How was Stones different from trolls in other stories?
- Why did Stones decide to build a bridge?
- What would you build to help a friend?
Where this story came from
Every Storybox story starts with one idea, said out loud. This one started with:
“A troll who builds bridges instead of guarding them.”
Your child can do the same. They say what they want the story to be about, and Storybox writes and illustrates a picture book like this one in about a minute.
Get Storybox for iPhone and iPadHow it was made: Storybox wrote and illustrated this story with AI from the idea above. Our team picked it for the free library and edited the text by hand.
More stories like this

Kaelo's Cozy Knits
Kaelo the yeti knits warm things for all his friends, and when he spots a shivering squirrel he makes the smallest scarf of all.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read

Kazimir's Singing Spells
Every spell Kazimir the witch casts turns into a song, which seems like a problem until a lost little creature needs to find its way home.
Ages 4 to 6 5 min read

A Drop and a Beam
A tiny raindrop and a cheerful sunbeam meet over a droopy flower and learn they can help it more together than apart.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read