The Smartest Giant in Town

So fun! Better than the Gruffalo! The scruffy giant who becomes a smart giant and then gives it all away for his friends, and sings songs and then they help him out too, is like, … fuck man, a Gatsby-made-good fable for the children of the Second Gilded Age. I also notice that the American edition changes the title to the spiffiest (italics for infinite loathing) giant in town, which is like, ha ha, fuck you America, kids know what words mean when we tell them what they mean and not sooner and "smart" meaning "looking good" is a very cute thing to imagine a kid saying and you are literally the evil empire.

Sweet,endearing and funny. Children love the cumulative rhyme, and I love the whole story. It's about sharing without being "educational". Perfect book for circle time.

When George the giant spies a shop full of wonderful clothes, he decides to treat himself to a new outfit. He puts on his new shirt, pants, shoes, and tie, and is immediately transformed from the scruffiest giant in town to the spiffiest giant in town. But on his way home, George runs into various animals who need his help. And little by little, George finds himself giving away all his new purchases.
From the creators of Room on the Broom, this is a lively tale that reminds readers that sometimes it's what's inside a person-or a giant-that matters most.

I liked this book because of the characters and storyline. I think the storyline is very creative and I liked how the author made the giant a scruffy man in the beginning and in the end but his personality transformed. It was a little confusing at first because I did not realize this was a British story. By this, the word smart in relation to clothes means looking good and having nice clothes. I liked how the author made the giant a person and animals as the people he helped. The language flowed and the repetition of each piece of clothing and the rhyme scheme with the animals made the story more engaging and allowed readers to predict the words and sing it to themselves, which I enjoyed because it is far different from other picture show more books.
The overall big idea is that if you help others and are selfless, good karma will come back around and people will help you. This is expressed throughout because the giant gives a piece of clothing to each animal in need until he is back to looking scruffy but he is content with it because he was appreciated by all the animals. I liked how the giant was crowned the nicest giant in town because it related to the title. I think it was very fitting to the story because even though he was in his original clothes, he had a crown on and a smile and surrounded by new friends. show less

British picture book, where smart means smart clothes, i.e., looking good. George was the scruffiest giant in town until he discovers a clothes shop and gets some smart clothes. But then as he goes proudly through town, he meets a string of animals who all have needs -- and George is able to satisfy those needs by donating his various bits of clothing. A giraffe gets his tie for a scarf, a goat gets his shirt for a sail, some mice get a shoe for a house, a fox gets a sock for a sleeping bag, and a dog gets his belt as bridge across a bog. But then poor George is the coldest giant in town as his trousers fall down. But he retrieves his old clothes making him the cosiest giant in town -- and then he receives a crown as a present from the show more grateful animals who declare him the kindest giant in town. show less

George is the scruffiest giant in town so decides to buy himself some new clothes. He meets a series of animals in crisis and gives away his new clothes to help. At the end he has his old scruffy clothes back and the title of the kindest giant in town. Be prepared to sing!

A Giant wants to update his look but then ends up giving away his new clothes to others in need. Great book to teach about giving and about being yourself