The Stinky Giant

August 1, 2012
Grades K-3 Every Thursday, after Urk the stinky giant does his laundry and empties the tub, the valley below floods. Determined to stop the giant, wide-eyed but brave Pepper and Jake confront him. If they can solve his riddle, he'll move away; if not, he'll boil them for soup. The language is both kid- and teacher-friendly, going for base humor as well as metaphor and hyperbole: When Urk burped, it sounded like thunder. When he sneezed, houses blew away. The cover, sporting a bulbous-nosed giant washing his underpants, is sure to attract readers to this Step into Reading book and dissolve them into giggles.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2012
To get rid of the smelly giant who lives on the hill and floods their valley each week with dirty wash water, siblings Pepper and Jake must solve a riddle: what's "one thing and also three things?" (The answer? Water.) Girasole's cartoons modernize the story's classic fairy tale structure. It's a predictable but decent addition to a new reader's collection.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)