Ten of the Best Giant Stories. (Ten of the Best Myths, Legends & Folk Stories). David West. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2015. 24 pp., pbk., hc., pdf & html, $8.95 (pbk.), $18.36 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-0821-6 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-0824-6 (RLB.), ISBN 978-1-4271-7742-1 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4271-7734-6 (html). Subject Heading: Tales. Grades 3-5 / Ages 8-10. Review by Kate Hachborn. *** /4

excerpt:

Each day, Sedna grew bigger. The larger she became, the more she ate…One night, Sedna’s parents woke up screaming. She was trying to eat their legs! It was the last straw. They carried Sedna out to sea in their kayak and dropped her in the icy ocean. But when they tried to paddle back to land, the kayak would not move. Sedna was hanging on, and the kayak was in danger of tipping over.

The “Ten of the Best Myths, Legends & Folk Stories” series groups stories with a common element together in one volume. In Ten of the Best Giant Stories, tales of giants are gathered from different centuries and cultures, offering perspectives from Mayan culture, Inuit culture and more. This nonfiction title adopts standards of the form including a table of contents, glossary and index. Each story is related on a two page spread making this an easy title to read in sections over a longer period.

     This collection is a great way to introduce young readers to the world of mythical creatures and stories Though some stories lack the context to fully explain the more complex myths, each story is sufficient to provide an introduction into various cultural tales. Some of the stories would also benefit from the inclusion of a pronunciation guide.

Recommended.

Kate Hachborn is a library technician at the W. Ross Macdonald School in Brantford, ON.

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