The Lonely Giant by Sophie Ambrose – Book Review

A heart-warming story about a giant who, after destroying his forest home, must learn the true value of the natural world.

A modern fable, The Lonely Giant is a story of conserving the environment, friendship and freedom. The forest giant likes nothing better than smashing, bashing and pulling up trees. But when all the animals run away in fear, the giant finds himself so very sad and lonely. How he misses the crackling warmth of a fire; how he misses the sweet, melodious songs of the birds!

Can the lonely giant find a way to bring back the woodland bloom, and even make some friends? Beautifully illustrated, this is a tender, poignant tale of learning to nurture, value and respect the natural world.

Once there was a giant who did just what you would think a giant would do – whatever he wanted to, no-one would stop him. He pulled up the trees, and destroyed the mountains.

Over time the giant had destroyed so much land that there was no trees and mountains anymore. This meant that there were no animals, no birds, and nothing grew anymore. The giant became lonely and sad.

He soon realised how bad he had been and set about restoring everything he had destroyed.

The Lonely Giant, is a simple, yet very poignant book. It doesn’t just contain a beautiful story, it is thought-provoking too. It creates a talking point for children to be able to ask questions about what will happen to the earth if people keep destroying nature. This book would be a great asset for any primary school teacher.

Children need to learn from an early age that their actions always have consequences, whether good or bad. This book is about teaching them to appreciate nature, and what will happen if they don’t. Though they may not be able to pull up trees!!

The softly coloured illustrations, drawn by the author, are divine. They capture the essence of the story perfectly. Even without reading the words, children would be able to fully understand what is happening. The pictures also have an emotional pull to them, and you can gauge on every page just how the giant is feeling.

The Lonely Giant is a versatile book that I’m sure little kids will enjoy reading, and their parents will enjoy sharing with them, especially at night-time.

I grew up in a village in Kent, and I have a younger brother named Greg. When I was very little, my mum owned a riding school and taught me to ride on a small pony named Tango (although I wasn’t very brave when the pony started to trot too fast or canter).

I loved drawing from a young age, and my favourite thing to do was to draw little characters and make up stories about them. I loved reading and would spend Saturday mornings at the library choosing new books to read during the week. My favourite picture book was In The Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak. I still have the book — although it’s falling apart now!

When I was older, I loved all the Tintin books and any historical novels, such as The Family from One End Street by Eve Garnett. I studied illustration at Swindon College School of Art and then worked in an advertising agency and a design studio. I learned how to storyboard, and I still like using A2 size layout pads to plan my stories. You can draw out a whole twelve-spread book on one page!

After getting married and having two children, I studied at Kingston University, where I graduated with honours, earning a BA in illustration and animation. My final project, a children’s picture book, was Highly Commended for the Macmillan Prize and became The Lonely Giant. I always have a small sketchbook in my bag and love to sketch people and places or jot down funny things I hear or see. Inspiration for stories can come from anywhere.

www.sophieambrose.co.uk