The Lonely Giant by Sophie Ambrose- ADVISABLE

Ambrose, Sophie. The Lonely Giant, PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick Press, 2016. $16.99. Giants are supposed to rip out trees, toss the trunks like spears and smash mountains. So, a giant in the middle of the forest does all those things. All day, every day. Eventually, the forest gets smaller and smaller and all the trees and animals disappear. The giant gets very lonely. One day, a little yellow bird appears and follows the giant around all day, singing a song. He loves the singing so much, he catches the bird in a cage so he can listen to her sing all day and he won’t be lonely anymore. The bird becomes more and more sad in her cage and stops singing altogether. The giant sets her free and he decides that if he wants to see her again, he needs to fix what he has destroyed and bring the forest back. Once he does, the animals return and he was never lonely again. I love the pictures in this book. The texture and shading are such a treat to look at. I really like the message about taking care of our planet and not caging anything in. It’s a pretty deep message, but done well for young readers. PRE-K, EL (K-3)- ADVISABLE. Reviewed by Shay, School Librarian