The Boy and the Giant

October 22, 2018
A boy learns the importance of accepting those who are different from him in this message-driven story by Litchfield (The Bear and the Piano). When a town’s residents struggle to complete the highest section of a mural welcoming visitors, a boy’s grandfather suggests that the shy local giant will come to the rescue, just as he has in the past, having previously saved the family from bears, storms, and other mishaps. “Those aren’t real—they’re just legends,” the boy scoffs. Predictably, on the very next morning, the boy interrupts the giant, who is working to complete the mural. Terrified, the boy races home. He instantly regrets his unfriendly behavior, and, determined to make things right, he and Grandad come up with a plan to reassure the giant that he’s a welcome member of the community. Though the dialogue feels overly purposeful, the text’s message of inclusion is valuable. What stand out most are the richly textured illustrations, which give readers an excuse to linger on each spread and try to spot the semi-hidden giant. Ages 4–8.

September 1, 2018
Billy saves the day when he finds the only person tall enough to finish the new town mural. The friendly citizens of Gableview are working on a mural that decorates the wall surrounding their town; it will welcome visitors from far and near. But no one can reach the top to finish the mural. Grandad has a great idea: ask the Secret Giant to help, regaling a skeptical Billy with tales of the Giant's fantastic feats, like the time he lay across a gap in the bridge so that cars could cross or the time he rescued a fishing boat caught in a storm. The next day, Billy and his dog go for their morning walk and run smack into the Giant himself, with "legs as long as drainpipes and hands the size of tabletops." And what is the Giant doing? Painting the wall, of course. Billy runs away in fright but regrets it, realizing the "Giant stays hidden away because people are afraid of him. He just doesn't feel welcome." After a little thinking, Billy and Grandad concoct an idea for a way to show the Giant he really is welcome. Litchfield uses the metaphor of a friendly giant to lead readers to understand they don't need to be "scared of things that are different," but in depicting the Giant as endlessly self-sacrificing and ever helpful to an ungrateful population, he sends a murky message indeed. Billy, Grandad, and the Giant all present white.Skip this well-intended book. (Picture book. 5-8)

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