THE LITTLEST VIKING

The smallest member of a Viking family rules the roost—until a new little warrior princess comes along.

Little Sven may be, but in this sparely related episode he has the loudest cries, the fiercest bite, and if he feels like pillaging his massive dad’s dinner plate…well, no one will stand against him. He also loves telling stories so much that everyone stops to listen. This last comes in handy after his place in the clan is usurped by a scowling, redheaded, even smaller new arrival with an even louder cry—and when no one else can make the “warrior princess” settle down, it’s his tales of two small rovers setting out on epic adventures that bring peace to the flummoxed Nordic household. Looking diminutive indeed among the towering, haystack-shaped adults in Roxas’ green and gold scenes, Sven and the princess go on to develop so firm an alliance that at the end he’s proudly outfitting her with a helmet and shield of her own, showing nary a trace of sibling rivalry or jealousy. Children will enjoy such details as Sven’s dog, who demonstrates its distress in parallel with Sven’s white family.

Martial aspects notwithstanding, a warm tale of family togetherness.