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The Selfish Giant (Bloomsbury Children's Classics)
by
Oscar Wilde
Gallagher's eerily stylized paintings lend a haunting resonance to this moralistic tale of a hardened man who learns to open his heart. When the curmudgeonly Giant denies the local children access to his expansive garden, a great chill descends on them all. Winter lingers and spring refuses to scale the garden walls. But the children find a way into the beloved spot and th...more
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
September 27th 1999
by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
(first published 1888)
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1-30
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2,992)
Apr 18, 2009
Chandra
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
picture-books,
fairy-and-folk-tales
On the surface this is a story about a lonely bitter giant who happens to possess a beautiful garden. When he discovers that children are playing there he puts a wall around it out of pure orneriness. In true fairy tale fashion, this backfires on him as Winter and her friends Snow and Frost decide to take up permanent residence and nothing will bloom anymore - not much of a garden, eh? Long story short, the giant has a not very surprising change of heart. It's all a very typical fairy tale right...more
5 likes · like · see review
view all 3 comments
Dec 22, 2010
Lisa Vegan
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Lisa by:
Laura
I own many books by Oscar Wilde, including a book of stories that contains a version of this story, but I haven’t read that book since my childhood years.
So, because of the Jesus allusions, it ended up being not my cup of tea at all. I assume that as I child I didn’t get the Christian/Jesus connection and I probably was able to enjoy it more because of that.
But, up until the end I appreciated and enjoyed the story and the illustrations that are in this edition.
It’s a lovely fairy tale and if the...more
So, because of the Jesus allusions, it ended up being not my cup of tea at all. I assume that as I child I didn’t get the Christian/Jesus connection and I probably was able to enjoy it more because of that.
But, up until the end I appreciated and enjoyed the story and the illustrations that are in this edition.
It’s a lovely fairy tale and if the...more
Nov 07, 2012
Katie Lee
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
picture-books,
fantasy
I would not recommend this book for kids. The original story line is great but in the end the author throws in a religious twist. This factor threw me for a loop so I can imagine what would happen if a young student was reading it.
Oct 15, 2007
Jeremiah Jones
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
every child of God
It's good that this title appears at the top of my list--"The Selfish Giant" has long been one of my favorite stories. I remember listening to my mother read it as we sat on our front porch on a lazy California afternoon. Just as she did, I also cry when I read this touching story to my children.
There are few books outside the canon of scripture that I would count as spiritually powerful and fully illustrative of the love of God as this short story. Take the time today to read it to your childre...more
There are few books outside the canon of scripture that I would count as spiritually powerful and fully illustrative of the love of God as this short story. Take the time today to read it to your childre...more
I read the Selfish Giant to a year one class on my first placement as part of a PSHE lesson. The book itself is beautifully illustrated and the themes of the book; selfishness and greed changing into selflessness, friendship, care and death, are approached in a gentle way, making it suitable for younger children.
The giant lives alone in a castle and when he leaves to visit friends, children from the village come to play in his garden which is large and full of beautiful trees. When the giant re...more
The giant lives alone in a castle and when he leaves to visit friends, children from the village come to play in his garden which is large and full of beautiful trees. When the giant re...more
A Triptych of Artists Honor Oscar Wilde,
Oscar Wilde wrote a large number of stories for children, a fact we often forget when the controversial author and playwright's is considered. But Wilde wrote charming and imaginative stories for his children and among those his most respected is THE SELFISH GIANT. It is a story that helps children deal with fear, with the unknown, and with understanding 'strangers' - as well as being a wonderful fairy tale. Composer Dan Goeller has enhanced this story by...more
Oscar Wilde wrote a large number of stories for children, a fact we often forget when the controversial author and playwright's is considered. But Wilde wrote charming and imaginative stories for his children and among those his most respected is THE SELFISH GIANT. It is a story that helps children deal with fear, with the unknown, and with understanding 'strangers' - as well as being a wonderful fairy tale. Composer Dan Goeller has enhanced this story by...more
The Selfish Giant is a beautifully illustrated book which deals with themes of love and redemption. The story begins with the selfish giant returning from holidays to discover children playing in his garden. This makes him furious and he immediately banishes them. As winter passes and spring is near, the garden still remains dormant, there is frost and snow on the trees and grass, there is a loud strong North wind and hail bashes heavily off the roof. Summer and Autumn pass, but the garden still...more
The Selfish Giant was one of my favourite books as a child, and upon reading it again there were a lot of themes and symbols that as a child i was oblivious to. The story is about a Selfish Giant who owns a home with a beautiful garden. Upon returning to his home he discovers the local children playing in his garden, the sun shining and birds chirping. The Giant was enraged that the children had been playing in his garden, so he chased them all away and built a huge wall with a sign saying 'tres...more
4 likes · like · see review
An interesting tale of giant who does not want the neighborhood children to play in his garden while he is away. So he builds a wall about the garden and the children are very sad. Winter and snow comes and it stays and stays and stays...the giant does not understand and is angry that the spring won't come. One day the children find a way to sneak in and suddenly the garden transforms into spring. The giant takes an interest in a little boy who is trying to climb into a tree but is too short to...more
Utterly beautiful.
On the surface a traditional fairy tale, though Wilde wrote it as a religious parable, however as a five ar six year old it wasn't a subtext I was aware of.
The plot centres around a giant who puts a wall around his beautiful garden to stop children playing in it, and in doing so, stops Spring from entering as well as them. One day the children find a cranny though which to kreep back into the garden and duly Spring returns and the garden becomes a paradise once more. As the gi...more
On the surface a traditional fairy tale, though Wilde wrote it as a religious parable, however as a five ar six year old it wasn't a subtext I was aware of.
The plot centres around a giant who puts a wall around his beautiful garden to stop children playing in it, and in doing so, stops Spring from entering as well as them. One day the children find a cranny though which to kreep back into the garden and duly Spring returns and the garden becomes a paradise once more. As the gi...more
The Selfish Giant is a beautifully illustrated book which deals with themes of love and redemption. It tells the tale of a selfish giant who when returning in winter from holidays sees children playing in his garden. He banishes them from his garden but the season in the garden does not change as time passes.One day he hears a melody in the garden and when he investigates he sees the garden in full bloom with children playing; all except one corner of the garden. There is a boy struggling to cli...more
Mommy's review from 7/5/11 -
What an absolutely beautiful story! This is like the every-so-often treasure you happen to find in the midst of a ton of so-so books.
We liked this so much that we read it again before we returned it from the library and I've already made a note to order it asap.
It story has been gone over enough in reviews so I'll just say to get it - it really is amazing. What's even more amazing is how such young children seem to understand the story more than one (mainly me) wou...more
What an absolutely beautiful story! This is like the every-so-often treasure you happen to find in the midst of a ton of so-so books.
We liked this so much that we read it again before we returned it from the library and I've already made a note to order it asap.
It story has been gone over enough in reviews so I'll just say to get it - it really is amazing. What's even more amazing is how such young children seem to understand the story more than one (mainly me) wou...more
One of my favorite short stories from my childhood, and one which I have re-read many times since then. I know some reviewers here considered it overbearing or too overtly religious, but frankly, those were among the reasons I liked it as a child. It embodies clear expressions of empathy, repentance, service, faith, happiness, and above all, the atonement. On one level, it is simply heartwarming and satisfying to see the "conversion" of the giant, but on deeper levels, it is so much more!
(Read as part of the Complete Works of Oscar Wilde.)
I've probably read this one before, but since it didn't really seem all that familiar I read it again. It was okay. I was on board through most of the story until the end which seemed a bit... preachy for my taste, but I get the point of the story and that's what matters.
Although, I prefer the way the giant was in the beginning. I don't want kids playing on my lawn either.
I've probably read this one before, but since it didn't really seem all that familiar I read it again. It was okay. I was on board through most of the story until the end which seemed a bit... preachy for my taste, but I get the point of the story and that's what matters.
Although, I prefer the way the giant was in the beginning. I don't want kids playing on my lawn either.
Mar 27, 2012
Steve
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Steve by:
Read excerpt in Inheriting Paradise: Meditations on Gardening
Shelves:
owned
I was so affected by an excerpt from this book in Inheriting Paradise: Meditations on Gardening that I knew I had to read this children's book. Oscar Wilde's story of a selfish giant is one of redemption in a garden. I don't know if he did this intentionally but it creates a fitting contrast to the Bible's story of the first act of selfishness in a garden and the need for redemption. I plan to read this every year at Easter to my grandchildren.
1 like · like · see review
Beautifully illustrated and typical of Oscar Wilde.
I recommend parents read this before giving to their children. Sensitive children and non-Christian parents may find the last pages of concern.
Found our copy in the used book store. Since the only price on it is in pounds (and published by Floris Books), I wonder if someone purchased it overseas and brought it here. Either way, I'm glad to have had an opportunity to read it.
I recommend parents read this before giving to their children. Sensitive children and non-Christian parents may find the last pages of concern.
Found our copy in the used book store. Since the only price on it is in pounds (and published by Floris Books), I wonder if someone purchased it overseas and brought it here. Either way, I'm glad to have had an opportunity to read it.
I can't lie...in the beginning, this story definitely was not my favorite. It wasn't until the end and you begin to see the transformation in the grumpy giants life and the Jesus connection made as the giants favorite child escorts him into paradise. I really don't think I would use this book in my classroom because of the symbolism in the end, but if I did I would use it to talk about the seasons and also selfishness does not get you anywhere or anything in life.
I fell across this book when I was looking for something to read to Suzie and we both fell in love with it. It's a beautiful story about selfishness vs. generosity and has an ending that makes me sob every time. The style and symbols Wilde uses are amazing and I will never tire of reading it.
The turning point when the Giant is no longer selfish sets up a good read. Even though it got boring towards the end, Wilde caught his readers' attention back by introducing a rather interesting story of the little innocent boy who couldn't reach the tree.
My favorite of Wilde's tales by one of my favorite illustrators. I find it intriguing that, unlike Gallagher's illustrations of the same tale, Zwerger never shows us the garden itself--and the garden is a major player. Still, I liked it.
Oct 17, 2010
Michelle
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Amy Koch, Amy Spear
Recommended to Michelle by:
William Kilpatrick in http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/810907.Books_That_Build_Character
Shelves:
read-with-ds
A wonderful short story with a pleasant surprise at the end. Beautifully illustrated. The story generated an excellent conversation between myself and my son about the symbolism in the story and what Oscar Wilde was really writing about.
My first time reading this beautiful story. I thought it was moving, but the stigmata message was inappropriate for my family and young children. I'm glad I read it first. I read the version illustrated by lisbeth zwerger.
Dec 12, 2010
Bettie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Brazilliant Laura
Shelves:
winter-20102011
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
1 like · like · see review
I read this to Georgia for the first time today--her first Oscar Wilde! I thought the stigmata message at the end was a little too weirdly religious for my taste, but it's Oscar Wilde, so I was able to overlook it.
Jan 02, 2013
Payal
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
children, parents
I dont remember reading this story when I was little. But now most of the course books contain these stories in the school.
typical children material.
typical children material.
Great book, great message, interesting tie-in to Christ which I wasn't expecting and wouldn't have figured out without the obvious symbolism.
I read this to my daughter at bedtime, we both really liked it. She immediately identified the little boy at the end as Jesus, bless her!
It is the very end which makes the story worth reading. I am a sucker for this kind of story-- which I do not think is a bad thing.
Dec 12, 2010
Laura
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Gundula, Lee, Lisa Vegan
Recommended to Laura by:
Bettie
A group of children adore playing in a beautiful garden, until the owner - a monstrous giant - returns. Read by John Moffatt.
1 like · like · see review
This is my favorite way to read this story. It is beautiful. Probably one of my favorite stories.
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Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish playwright, poet and author of numerous short stories and one novel. Known for his biting wit, and a plentitude of aphorisms, he became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. Several of his plays continue to be widely performed, especially The Importance of Being E...more
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“And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to him, 'You let me play once in your garden, to-day you shall come with me to my garden, which is Paradise.”
—
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