Farmer Giles of Ham

Farmer Giles (aka Aegidius Ahenobarbus Julius Agricola De Hammo) lives in a kingdom where giants and dragons occasionally terrorize the community. Normally one to mind his own business and not get involved, Farmer Giles is seen as a hero after he chases off a giant terrorizing the village and squashing livestock. After such accidental bravado, it is only natural that the village appoint Farmer Giles as the one to slay a greedy dragon (worm) when it comes calling on Ham. With a talking dog and an overworked mare, Giles accepts the challenge. The result is as humorous as it is childish. This is a book for children of all ages, after all.

The first Tolkien I ever read, I remembered this as hilarious and original - and it was in 1960 when I was 11. It's still an amusing riff on making an alliance with a dragon rather than slaying it. The absurd anachronisms of blunderbuss and sugar pastry as well as the traditional ones of knights in 4th-5th cent Britain were entirely overlooked at that first reading.

I think this is the book that has been in my TBR pile longer than any other--probably about 30 years. Given that it is only 78 pages long, I have no idea why I didn't read it sooner. It's a silly little story, fun to read, about an unlikely hero with a cowardly talking dog.

This is a lovely little whimsy of a tale, with a cast of characters who manage to transcend their stereotypes (bluff farmer, wily dragon, cowardly and boastful dog) in their witty encounters. There isn't much of any depth in the book, but so what? It reads just like a classic retelling of a folktale, except that the tale didn't exist until Tolkien dreamt it up while fantasizing about the origins of English placenames. And if you have a copy without Pauline Baynes's mock-medieval drawings, then throw it away and get one which has them. MB 15-vi-2007

Short and sweet, a fun and silly story about a farmer who gets very lucky, and bravely takes the opportunities he is given. A great example of a story which turns the expectations on their heads, and a very quick read (or in my case, listen)

Molto molto carino questo libro! E’ una favoletta divertente, il cui protagonista è molto diverso dal tipico eroe di un’avventura, ma questo tema il Tolkien non è nuovo, basta pensare agli Hobbit.
La storia mi ha ricordato un po’ l’Ammazzasette, con questo Giles che grazie a un po’ di fortuna viene creduto un eroe, e alla fine è “costretto” a diventarlo davvero.
I personaggi minori, dal gigante al cane Garm, dal drago al fabbro pessimista, dal re al pievano, appaiono poco ma sono comunque interessanti, un po’ macchiette, ma d’altronde, si tratta di una favola! ;)

http://www.naufragio.it/iltempodileggere/2659

Didn't know Tolkien had written a children's book.
It included notes, edited manuscripts and thoughts that were later revised.

The story was engaging, following a man who started as a farmer and realized what luck at the right time will achieve. A lesson in power and pride.

Boys enjoyed the giants, dragons and time period. I enjoyed that magic did not reign and life was a bit normal.