The Great Quillow - Hardcover

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Gr. 3-5, younger for reading aloud. Quillow, a toymaker by trade, is called "the Great Quillow" as a joke, for he's the shortest man in his idyllic little town. When the horrible giant Hunder comes and demands a new house, a new jerkin, a pair of boots, and a daily tribute of sheep, chocolate, apple pies, and storytelling, the horrified town councilmen put forth various plans to foil him, sneering at Quillow's remark that their plots will only annoy the giant. Using his toys and storytelling, the little fellow soon becomes the Great Quillow indeed, outwitting the giant and sending him to his destruction. An artist to the end, Quillow draws on his fear of the giant in creating a new toy to amuse the children. The lively full-color illustrations are pure Kellogg: energetic line, sunlit color, broad humor, subtle detail, and exuberant spirit. Narrow borders frame the pictures and text, but characters sometimes extend beyond their frames, because they're too full of energy or (in the giant's case) too large or (in the townsfolk's) just too busy to be concerned about staying within the lines. The artwork captures the bustle and the bickering of the story as well as the terror and the wonder. This original fairy tale, first published in 1944, is longer than the stories in most picture books. A fine choice to read aloud, even to children who could read it to themselves. Carolyn Phelan