The Giant Who Wanted Company: A Little Golden Book

ISBN 0307021432 - Little Golden Books are currently a large stack on the top of my to-be-read pile, an occasion that always makes me happy. I get to re-visit the ones I loved when I was a kid and, even better, find new ones. The Giant Who Wanted Company is a new one for me and the cover - with the giant shaking hand and hoof with the horse - caught my eye right away.

The giant is lonely in his empty, quiet house and he would like someone to talk with, so he set out to visit his friends and invite them to visit him. He visits all of his friends, large and small. All agree that they will stop by soon - and then, they all do! Every one of them, all at the same time. They make a great deal of noise, so much noise that he can't understand any of it. The giant has so many friends to take a walk with that he's afraid to take a single step and possibly step on a small friend. They eat all of his food, leaving him hungry, and they sleep in every available space, leaving him sitting for the night. When morning comes and his guests go home, he thanks them for coming and ask them to come again - but not all at once!

Giants often get a bad rap in children's books. They eat people, are mean, etc. I liked the fact that Lee Priestly's giant is a very friendly sort, with a lot of friends. Of course, as an adult, I think if he has so many friends, why wouldn't they ever visit him? But most kids won't question that, they'll just enjoy the slightly silly tale (the kittens sleep in mittens and the llamas... in pajamas!). Dennis Hockerman's illustrations are good, full of color and some funny details (the ants in sleeping bags!). No really specific message here, unless it's "be careful what you wish for".

- AnnaLovesBooks