Title: The Giant
Author: Sophie Masson
Illustrator: Lorena Carrington
Publisher: MidnightSun Publishing
Publication date: August 2025
Author Sophie Masson, illustrator Lorena Carrington and MidnightSun Publishing have teamed up again to create another phenomenal picture book, The Giant. This poignant, fable is about a gentle giant who has slept in a cave for a very long time. He awakens full of joy, hope and the possibility of being reunited with his friends. He soon learns that the people in the village no longer remember him. Now, he is met with people who fear him, causing him deep sadness. The memories of two children are stirred and they recall reading about the giant in a book. This memory is the impetus for them to reach out to the giant in an act of courage and friendship that causes a ripple effect throughout the village. This story explores themes relating to memory, connection, belonging, friendship, compassion, xenophobia, passing down stories from one generation to the next and it celebrates community.
There are many elements that make this book a standout masterpiece. The rich, atmospheric and detailed illustrations that sprawl the double page spreads are astonishing and unique. Lorena has employed several techniques including photographs of nature montaged together, paper collage and drawing to create the striking artwork. The characters (both human and animal) are mysteriously in silhouette form, this invites the reader to be an active part of the storytelling as it inspires readers to question, infer and predict the character’s actions without any reference to the gender, ethnicity or cultural background of the characters. There are beautiful details in the illustrations to savour such as the giant himself, he is created with natural elements such as moss, sticks and leaves and the stunning use of colour to convey the passing of time. The children are the heroes in the story, they lead the charge to befriend the giant, after they themselves recall seeing him in a book where he was presented as being a kind friend who had a penchant for play. The children know a snippet of the giant’s story and this enables a connection as barriers are broken down. Their lack of fear sees them connect with the giant, inviting him to play, a somewhat bold move when the rest of their community have fled and hidden in their homes. The children’s wisdom, insight, compassion and empathy demonstrate to their community what friendship looks like and that joy, bond kindness and connection becomes irresistible to the villagers. The playful typography adds to the meaning and drama of the story.
Sophie and Lorena collaborated on Satin which was a Notable Book for the 2024 Children’s Book Council Book of the Year Awards. I wrote a review for Satin on the Reading Opens Doors blog here.
The Giant is a breathtaking book; it is a story both adults and children will treasure with its timeless and universal themes and innovative design elements.