Giant John

Format:

Book

Title:

Giant John

Author:

Lobel, Arnold. author

ISBN:

9780805082951

Publication:

New York : Harper & Row, Publishers, 1964.

Physical Description:

32 unnumbered pages : color illustrations ; 28 cm

Summary:

Giant John, loving son and a friend to the fairies, was looking for a job. And work at the castle, whose towers he towered above, seemed ideal.

Subject(s):

Giants (Folklore) -- Juvenile fiction.

Picture books for children.

Genre:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Salem Main Library	JP Lobel	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Newberg Public Library	TALES LOBEL	Searching... Unknown

John is a friendly giant who lives among musical fairies. But the time comes when he must venture out into the world to get a job. Soon, he befriends a king and queen who ask him to stay and work for their family. Through his adventures, Giant John learns what it means to care about people and for them to care about him.

This heart-warming tale of friendship is as fresh today as it was when originally published in 1964. The child-friendly illustrations, complete with the detailed, crosshatching lines, reveal Arnold Lobel's great talent as an artist and, most of all, as a storyteller.

Author Notes

Arnold Stark Lobel (May 22, 1933-December 4, 1987) was a popular American author of children's books. Among his most popular books are those of the Frog and Toad series, and Mouse Soup, which won the Garden State Children's Book Award from the New Jersey Library Association. Lobel won the 1981 Caldecott Medal for his book, Fables. Lobel also illustrated the works of other authors. A notable example is Sam the Minuteman by Nathaniel Benchley, which was first published in 1969.

He was born in Los Angeles, California. When he graduated from art school, he married Anita Kempler, who also achieved fame as a children's book author and illustrator. Lobel died ion December 4,1987 due to complications arising from AIDS. He was 54 years old.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (1)

School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 2-Gentle Giant John and his mother, Mrs. Giant, live in an enchanted forest along with fairies who play magic music for John in Arnold Lobel's picture book (HarperCollins, 1964). Whenever he hears the music, he can't help but dance until it stops. One day the cupboards are bare and Mrs. Giant sobs, "There are only two potato chips in the cupboard and we have no money to buy more food." Giant John tells her, "Soon we will have some money. I will go out into the world to find a job." He finds a job working for a king and queen in their castle, and all is well until the fairies appear and begin to play their music. John starts dancing and can't stop. He's soon dancing over everything, including the castle. When the fairies finally stop playing, John repairs the castle and returns home with a bag of gold given to him by the royals. Lobel's large, three-color (orange, green, black) illustrations impart a sense of giant proportion on each page. Jim Brownold's delightful narration is delivered with child-like wonder. Page-turn signals are optional. This delightful tale of friendship is a fine choice for a new generation of beginning readers.-Mary Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Author Notes

Reviews (1)

School Library Journal Review