Tuesday 29 March 2011

Fig's giant













Updating the classic tale of Gulliver's Travels for a younger audience is tricky to say the least, but Geraldine McCaughrean has managed to put the focus on a little girl's relationship with the gentle giant, creating a story that takes all the best elements of the original and updates them quite nicely. 

Fig discovers the giant while out playing with her dog on the beach, and from then events rapidly take a turn for the worse once her fellow Lilliputians realise what a valuable asset they have in their continuing war with the Brobdinagians. 

Jonathan Swift's original story is treated with a fair amount of respect, and though it's a trifle 'grown up' for a 3 year old, they'll still enjoy the anticipation of 'what happens next' with every turn of the page. 

Charlotte's best bit: The contents of the giant's pockets. 


Daddy's favourite bit: Seeing the giant sailing off in a rather too tiny boat

Rating: 3 out of 5