VICTOR AND THE GIANT

In this tale translated from Spanish, a voracious behemoth spells doom for a peaceful city.

The day starts like any other. A bespectacled, tan-skinned young boy named Victor enjoys his milky hot chocolate as his mom runs out the door, late for work. Things take a turn, however, when the earth shakes and everything falls to the floor. The cause? A green-skinned, hairy, nude giant (covered up by strategically placed clouds) has eaten the whole city—except Victor. After getting the full-bellied, napping creature’s attention, Victor explains that cities aren’t meant to be eaten but to be lived in. The solution to getting everyone back while still filling the giant’s hungry tum comes down to our hero’s ingenuity. While the book harkens back to classic tales of boys and giants, like Pete Seeger and Michael Hays’ Abiyoyo (1986), it deviates somewhat; rather than outwitting the foe, our protagonist plays upon the creature’s sympathies. Meticulously rendered art brings to horrendous life everything from the bumps on the giant’s tongue to its individual nose hairs. Alas, the book finishes on an oddly clunky note, contrasting wildly with its prior polished presentation. Even so, kids will revel as much in the logistics of confronting such a large antagonist as they will with the tale’s inevitable vomiting sequence. Publishes simultaneously in Spanish.

A jolly green delight of a tale, ideal for those young readers with outsize appetites for a good tale.