The Little Giant

My five-year-old daughter loves this book, and so do I. Although it gently retells a familiar lesson -- that we are more like our enemies than we are different -- it does so in a completely original way. The art is luscious and the potentially frightening (giants at war!) characters are instead plain interesting to look at and reassuring, much like Maurice Sendak's sweet "monsters." Happily, the story and illustrations don't condescend to kids (which may be why my daughter wants me to read the book again and again). Children will relate to the plight of the dwarf and the giant, each the wrong size, sometimes ignored by their "families," sometimes lonely, sometimes teased, but they will see that acceptance and fellowship prevail. The book recalls a time when children's literature was written for an audience that was not considered fragile and slow, from Hans Christian Anderson's tales (scary but substantive) to Dr. Seuss's political parables enacted by bizarre creatures. All in all, we found this book to be a charming departure from the bunny-and-puppy template of contemporary kids' books.

Having recently bought The Little Giant for my four year old daughter I am writing this review on my behalf as well as hers. We both love the great illustrations and the otherwordly colors of the lunar-like landscapes. The giants and the dwarfs are alike in every way except their size, down to the similar loin cloths they wear in lieu of regular clothes. Obviously the author has tried, successfully, to create a tale of love and friendship in spite of the many problems life presents us with. Angelino is too small to feel a sense of belonging among his gigantic peers and Osvaldo has the same experience being too big to be a true dwarf. When they meet they instantly recognize in each other's eyes what they had been needing all along, to be loved and cared for by another human being, whatever life's circumstances may be. They befriend one another and spend some lovely days together until the day they have to return to their homeland since a war has erupted among the two different tribes. There they help the fighting giants and dwarfs realize the wrongness and pointlessness of being at war.The Little Giant is a lovely book that deals with big issues without losing the sense of the importance of living in the moment.