The Hungry Giant of the Tundra

by Teri Sloat (Retold by), Robert Sloat (Illustrator)

Overview

At sundown, a group of children ignore their parents' calls to come home. Suddenly a huge form darkens the horizon. It's the hungry giant, looking for his supper.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780882405360
Publisher:	TURNER PUB CO
Publication date:	05/01/2001
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	191,684
Product dimensions:	8.34(w) x 10.36(h) x 0.16(d)
Lexile:	AD580L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Teri Sloat is the author of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Trout! as well as the author and/or illustrator of many other books for children. A former teacher, she lives with her husband and their three children north of San Francisco.

Robert Sloat is an illustrator and former teacher with his wife, Teri Sloat, in the Alaska bush. He currently lives in California with his wife and children.

Editorial Reviews

Illustrations in earth tones portray life on the tundra, offering authentic touches that Alaskans will relish.

Library Talk

This Yup'ik tale, like many stories of this native Alaskan tribe, entertains as well as instructs about conduct in a northern environment where obedience to directions often determines survival. Softly colored drawings accent the humor and also capture summertime on the tundra.

Booklist

…fine, fun illustrations. The hungry, rather stupid giant is wonderfully ugly and fierce-looking in a friendly sort of way.

Nayec Reviewers Choice

K-Gr 3-A masterful retelling that combines rich, lively language that reads aloud well and colorful, detailed illustrations that capture children at play on the autumn tundra. When they disobey their parents' instructions to return home, they are confronted by a hungry giant and escape via a small amount of wit and a good deal of luck. The layout is creative and has some interesting perspectives, and the characters' faces are very expressive. (The giant looks more imposing than frightening, however, and is perhaps a bit too hairy for a Yup'ik Eskimo.) Also, while the story comes from the Yup'ik Eskimo of the Bethel region of Alaska, the artist's representation of the houses, terrain, and vegetation are more indicative of interior Alaska. The chants, the repetition of the giant's name, and the song of the chickadee that saves the children invite listeners to participate in the telling of this tale that is told throughout Canada and Alaska. A welcome addition to folktale collections.-Roz Goodman, Bering Strait School District Media Center, Unalakleet, AK

School Library Journal