The Boy and the Giants

Told with the crisp economy and compelling force of the best folk literature, this seaside tale from the Scottish Hebrides packs a treasure trove of classic fairy-tale elements. Moodie ( The Wonder Shoes ) introduces a fisher boy and a weaver girl who live happily by the sea; an evil giant who snatches the girl and threatens to eat her; a giant's wife who accepts bribes; animals eager to repay the fisher boy's past kindnesses; a bewitching but evil sea princess. Her art is buoyantly childlike, both shimmering with the jewel-like colors of the sea and radiating the warm colors of the earth. The underwater kingdom of the princess proves an especially intriguing stage, with its wealth of accoutrements, its malicious-looking inhabitants and the horrific unveiling of the princess's monstrous true self. Rarely are storybook villains so enjoyably puffed up with wickedness. A straightforwardly good tale. Ages 5-8. (June)