Sophie Masson (author) and Lorena Carrington (illustrator), The Giant, MidnightSun Publishing, August, 2025, 32 pp., $29.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922858658
The giant awakes from a very long sleep and is excited to visit his friends in the village. But they don’t remember him, as he has slept so long. They run away and hide. His heart is broken and he cries BIG tears, FAT tears, splashing onto the road, filling the gutters and the drains flooding the town, until two children call out to him. They read about him in a book, and it said you had been a good friend, it said you knew how to play. So the children and the giant build paper boats and play together. Slowly more children join in the play, followed by the adults. Suddenly everyone remembered! Everyone knew that the giant who came down the hill was not scary at all.
This gorgeous picture book embraces inclusion and friendship. Sophie Masson is a multi-award-winning author of many children’s books. Her compassionate story is perfectly reflected in Lorena Carrington’s stunning pictures. Carrington creates her montage illustrations using photographs. She photographs small objects on a light-box to turn them into silhouettes, and human figures against a lit backdrop. The backgrounds are often layered with several images to give them some depth. She often makes fantastical figures (dragons, goblins, impossible castles) out of many pieces of sticks, bone, lichen, leaves and flowers; often hundreds of them… One recent illustration has 300 image layers. It is easy to lose oneself in the intricacies of these luminous pictures. If you look closely at the figure of the giant, you can see these many elements.
This fable feels as old as time and reminds me of children’s stories written by Oscar Wilde – there’s sadness, but ultimately it’s a celebration of friendship and community.
Childcare, primary school and public libraries should have this book in their collections. This would make a gorgeous gift for any child, from age 4 years and onward.
Highly recommended.
Reviewed by Gaby Meares
