The Giantess is a
beautifully illustrated children’s book about a woman who lives in isolation
because of her physical difference from others. It’s also about society’s unfair treatment of women: her mother
told her early on that, “It’s fine to be a giant, but a giantess? That won’t do.” But one day a young woodsman builds a new house next to hers, and
he wants to get to know his lonely neighbor. 
So he invites her to the visiting carnival, where all sorts of people
and creatures go, including elves, fairies, witches and giants. She goes has a great time, because the boys
and girls like her a great deal, and think it wonderful that she is so
tall. She even dances with a man
dressed as a giant, although it turns out that he is wearing stilts. She is so happy to be accepted for who she
is, and by the end she is walking in the forest with the young woodsman. The story gives a clear message of hope for
those who stand out from the crowd. The
images in The Giantess are colorful and full of energy, and the story should
appeal to very young children.

© 2002 Christian Perring. All rights reserved.

Christian Perring,
Ph.D., is Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College, Long Island.
He is editor of Metapsychology Online Review. His main research is on
philosophical issues in psychiatry. He is especially interested in exploring
how philosophers can play a greater role in public life, and he is keen to help
foster communication between philosophers, mental health professionals, and the
general public.

Categories: Children