The Selfish Giant

December 1, 1987
Wilde's poignant tale of redemption deserves the renewed attention this volume gives it. In the story, a fierce giant who forbids little children to play in his garden is befriended by one small fellow. The giant's heart melts, and he allows the children to enter the garden, but the special child doesn't return for some time. At last the child appears, this time with holes in his hands and feet. "You let me play once in your garden,'' he tells the giant. ``Today you shall come with me to my garden, which is Paradise.'' Mansell's illustrations combine a Tony Ross-like zaniness with a sense of the mysterious that perfectly underscores the story's spiritual theme. Ages 69.