Hart, Caryl. The Princess and the Giant. Illustrated by Sarah Warburton. Nosy Crow, 2015. $16.99. ISBN 9780763680077. Unpaged. Ages 3-7. P8Q8.
A grouchy giant makes such a ruckus that the people down the beanstalk can’t sleep at night. Princess Sophie gets tired of the situation, and gets ideas from fairy tales about how to soothe the giant so he’ll be quiet. Sophie is practical- she wears boots and fills a backpack with supplies for her missions- she makes him porridge, gives him teddy bears to sleep with, brings him a comfortable mattress, and finally, reads him bedtime stories. After that, the giant can sleep and he and Sophie, who teaches him to read, are fast friends. Children will enjoy the rhyming text, the references to the traditional story, and the new and detailed twists.
VERDICT: I’m looking forward to reading this one for storytime one day soon- I’m sure it will be popular. Of course, it would make a great bedtime story too.
September 2018 review by Carol Schramm.
Oregon Coast Youth Book Preview Center 