Jonathan and the Giant Eagle

The story of Jonathan and the Giant Eagle begins when Jonathan’s parents offer him the chance of getting his very own pet. Jonathan considers more conventional animals before deciding that what his heart truly desires is, in fact, a giant eagle. Jonathan and the giant eagle have many adventures: surfing high in the clouds, reenacting medieval battles and even sharing the “grey days” happily together. But, in the course of their friendship, Jonathan realizes that his newfound friend belongs in the wild as “a giant eagle is a creature you really cannot own”.

The story’s rhyming couplets make the book an ideal read-aloud though some words may be slightly unfamiliar or challenging to younger readers. With soothing pastel shades and small discoverable details in every image, Danny Christopher is able to convey moments both big and small in a friendship as well as the emotional nuances of the characters (even the animal ones!). Between the humorous and quirky dialogue and the fluid and moving illustrations, Christopher manages to capture a sense of fun and friendship while keeping a fantastical story grounded in reality.

Despite the wild and adventurous nature of the story, Jonathan and the Giant Eagle ultimately encourages a sense of responsibility towards animals, teaching children to respect and care for their animal friends even if that means loving them from afar in cases where the animal belongs in the wild rather than the home.

Jonathan and the Giant Eagle is a perfect read-aloud story for slightly older children and is able to keep its readers engaged with humour, a heartwarming story and well-matched illustrations. A book for those children who love animals but, like Jonathan, are searching for something a little more extraordinary than a hamster or a fish.