There is a secret giant living in the town of Gableview. Billy’s Grandad tells him stories about the giant and all of the ways he has helped the people in town, but Billy just thinks they are just tall tales. One day, Billy actually sees the giant! He is so terrified that he runs away. He knows that he has hurt the giant’s feelings and feels very bad, especially after remembering that his grandad had taught him that people can be scared of things that are different. Billy and Grandad come up with a plan to make things better and make the giant feel welcome in Gableview. On 1st November 2017 Reading Matters merged with the national children’s literacy charity Beanstalk. The plot is a thinly veiled spin on those less welcome in mainstream culture. Read: Unseen workers (dare I say: “illegal” immigrants?) that perform the gritty work that keeps society functioning. The Giant even wears patchworked overalls - perhaps symbolizing work ethic or diversity in society? The cover is stunning! The title and stars are embossed in silver; The palette features dark blues & greens — and cozy warm red tones. The village/neighborhood appears gingerbread-like! The endpapers turn from cold blue, at the beginning, to joyful warm hues — at the end: Mirroring the acceptance of the Giant. Litchfield uses pen, pencil crayons, watercolor - and digital tools to create the illustrations. The focus, in many of the spreads, lends a sparkling lifelike (and magical!) effect.

Grandad says ‘We all make mistakes sometimes’. Can you think of times when you have made mistakes? How did you deal with them? You may have some questions in your mind before you fill in your application form. Here are answers to our most commonly asked questions. If your question isn't answered here you can find out how to get in touch with our team.Given the festive feel of the cover this could be mistaken as a holiday book… one of the main characters, a young boy, even leaves his house late at night (...Polar Express?). What a wonderful thing it would be, if a child were to read or receive this book around the December holidays; Imagine a conversation about the increasing necessity of acceptance during the holidays.

Rather than recount a synopsis of the story (it's always a treat to read a quality book for the first time as a process of discovery without spoilers), I'm going to say a few brief words about my experience of reading it and how it could be applied to a Year 1 class, including cross-curricular opportunities to engender greater depth of engagement.This picturebook is an absolute joy from start to finish. The story is simple and accessible with some lovely figurative language (He has hands the size of tables, legs as long as drainpipes and feet as big as rowing boats…). The contrast between the atmospheres created in the opening and closing endpapers would provide a great basis for a discussion. David Litchfield’s use of colour throughout the vibrant illustrations is excellent, as is the way that he uses body language to show the different emotions of the main characters. There is so much to see in the pictures that it is a book that requires repeated reading.

People are scared of things that are different’. What does this mean? Can you think of examples of this? When is it good to be different? Pazientzia apur bat gehiagorekin, bere aitonak beti kontatzen dionari buruz, baina sekula ikusi ez duenari buruzko zerbait gehiago ezagutuko du istorio honetako protagonistak. Eta, bide batez, oso garrantzitsua den zerbaitez jabetuko zara. Ilustrazio politak!Write a sequel to this book about an adventure that Billy, Grandad and the giant might have together. Little Billy doesn't believe his grandfather's stories about the humongous giant that helps out around his small town of Gableview. If there really were such a huge man running around, everyone would see him, he reasons. His grandfather replies that the giant might be staying hidden, because people tend to fear and distrust that which is unusual, or looks different to them. When Billy finally does encounter the giant, his initially frightened reaction seems to bear out his grandfather's words. Conscious that he has hurt the gentle giant, Billy sets out to find a way to make restitution... The prolific writer, Jeanne Willis, penned her first story aged 5. She has now written more than 80 titles and has won numerous awards. She teamed up with illustrator Gwen Millward to create The Bog Baby: a tale about a curious creature found by two sisters in a magic pond. The book is an exercise in reminiscing about a childhood event and how to write an engaging narrative for primary-level readers. Make a stop-motion animation that retells this story or tells a similar story about somebody who is ‘different’. With a little more patience, the protagonist of this story will discover something more about what his grandfather always tells him, but that he has never seen in person. And, by the way, you will realize something very important. Nice illustrations!