The Selfish Giant

I read this book because Jacqueline Woodson referred to it in "Black Girl Dreaming" as the book that so inspired her, that she read it again and again until she memorized it. Of course I had to see how hard it might be to memorize...as well as how engaging the story might be. It reads like a fairy tale, which must have helped make it memorizable. However, I am baffled with the Christian references coming from Oscar Wilde. I have a hard time separating the witty playwright from the...moralizing? sentimental? storyteller. I'm curious to know more about what inspired him to write this story. As for what about it excited Jacqueline Woodson, I wonder if connected with her childhood experiences as a Jehovah's Witness.

Being reminded of this short story is a recollection of my childhood, or at least of the day when I was a 14 year old plowing through an Oscar Wilde complete anthology book. I remember thinking that it was so much better than the pithy and pathetic morals found in the Smurfs and for some really odd reason, I wanted a really great moral story with lots of protein when I at this one. I smacked my lips and felt full afterwards.
Of course, like many compulsive word-overeaters, I ignored my appetite and continued the anthology until I wasn't even digesting the moral verbiage anymore. I suppose I ought to have stopped at this story, at least for a day or two. Too much of a good thing can still give you a stomach-ache.

I know, I know! I'm show more speaking of Oscar Wilde, Mr. Wit and convicted homosexual, and I'm propping him up as a moral giant! And yet, his writing shows us his depth and I appreciated it. The Selfish-Giant was one of my favorite short stories of his. I only gave it 4 stars because it kinda felt too preachy. :) show less

While a giant is away, children come and play in his wonderful garden. When the giant returns, however, he is selfish, and blocks off the garden from all the children. The flowers and trees miss the children, and fall into an eternal winter. When the children sneak in to play in the garden again, the giant sees how Spring comes again, and changes his mind. He allows all the children to play in his garden, and even helps one little boy climb a tree. However, the little boy never comes again and the children do not know who he is. One day, the giant sees the little boy and rushes out to greet him. Upon seeing that the boy is wounded, he is enraged, but the boy tells him that the wounds were made from love. The giant is in awe of the boy show more and asks who he is, and the boy tells him that as the selfish giant allowed him to play in the giant's paradise, the boy will allow the giant to play in his. The other children come to the garden to find that the giant - no longer selfish - has passed away and is covered in white blossoms.

Oscar Wilde flirted with Christianity, particularly Catholicism, off and on throughout his life, and many of his fairy tales for children reflect his interest. The Selfish Giant in particular is explicit with the connection: the little boy has wounds on the palms of his hands (stigmata), and even the language changes to reflect the more Biblical leanings, as when the giant asks, "Who art thou?". The overtly Christian message may turn off many people, but the story is well told in a distinctly fairy tale rhythm and language.

Most impressive are the paintings. Ritva Voutila chose to render the scenes on every page in oils, which is unusual for a children's book. However, the results are astounding. The style is classical, with a distinct feel of Hieronymus Bosch. Each painting is lavishly attentive: tiny people, meticulous in their detailing, lurk above stone arches and in the corners of rooftops. The scenes of the flowers blossoming in the garden are a sensation of color painted in rich blues and vibrant purples. Watercolors or acrylics could have never captured the lushness of hue that Voutila achieves on every page. Not surprisingly, the paintings took over a year to complete, but the talent shines on every page. At times, the paintings can feel dark; there is a distinct gloomy pall over them. However, for a child or adult who loves poring over paintings to capture the most tiny detail, Voutila's work is bound to amaze and capture their attention. show less

Oscar Wilde! Oscar Wilde is awesome, right? Not to mention decadent, unconventional...?
Well, you wouldn't guess it from this tale.

This is a saccharine, moralizing story with a bit of a priggish attitude. The Christian allegory could not be more blatant if this were a retelling of a Bible verse.

A selfish giant doesn't allow any of the children to play in his garden. Because of his attitude, the garden becomes a bleak place where spring never blooms. But he eventually learns to mend his ways, and reaps the rewards...

It’s always interesting to me when someone can take a classic and remake it to the point where current generations can find beauty within it. Honestly, it’s been a long time since I have taken the time to go through a book with my son. He’s 10 years old now and he reads long chapter books without the need for me to help him, so when Noteworthy Books asked me to review The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde, Musical Adaptation by Dan Goeller, Illustrations by Chris Beatrice and Narration by Martin Jarvis, I jumped at the chance to not only spend time with my little guy, but also to read a good book and hear some beautiful music.

I wasn’t disappointed.

The Selfish Giant is a heartfelt story that addresses topics such as selfishness, show more kindness, forgiveness and redemption. I hadn’t heard the story before so I was somewhat shocked at the ending, which was of a Christian nature. It wasn’t a bad ending, just unexpected for me because I hadn’t heard the story before and wasn’t expecting it. The included cd is narrated with the resounding and pleasant voice of Martin Jarvis, who kept me and my son enchanted throughout the 30-minute narration of the book. As a parent, holding a book for that length of time isn’t a pleasant experience, so I caution you to snuggle up with your kid of any age and put a book under your arm. It’s as good an excuse as any to snuggle.

The illustrations in the book are truly beautiful and thoughtfully done. You can almost feel them coming to life as the story is being read to you. My son couldn’t take his eyes off of them and I found myself looking through them for little bits and pieces of the story as well as unnoted commentary. In a book that accompanies a 30-minute cd, the illustrations must be interesting and aesthetically pleasing if you are going to look at a page for any length of time and these were both.

My favorite part of the book was the music. I’m a music lover and I found the music to be perfectly matched to the tone of the book. A few times I found myself closing my eyes to just enjoy what I was hearing and allow myself to drift into the story. At the end of the story there is a 4 minute up-beat montage of children’s music that is just beautiful and my son couldn’t stop bobbing his head to it. I can think of no better compliment.

In conclusion, the book was beautifully put together and definitely worth the time spent putting it together. This would make a wonderful bedtime book. What caught my attention, as well, is that the included cd would be wonderful for a long car ride with little ones. As a parent, getting kids to be quiet for 30 minutes on a long ride is a true blessing and with the beautiful music, excellent narration and amazing pictures, this would be a wonderful addition to any backseat package. Parents, this is a must have and not just for little ones. Like I said, mine is 10 and it held his attention for 30 minutes. Well done. show less

A literary fairy tale in which a giant keeps children out of his garden only to realize that it is they who bring the seasons and joy to it. At the end, a small child with "the wounds of love" takes him to the eternal garden.

The Selfish Giant is a story about a giant who discovers two children playing in his garden. He then builds a wall around his garden to prevent them from playing. His garden remains in winter without the children. When he hears music outside of his window, he sees the children playing in his garden and winter has disappeared. He's overcome with joy, but when he notices a little boy who's trying to climb a tree he helps him onto the tree. I don't want to give more than that away as a way to intrigue others to read the story. I'd recommend this story for children to learn how being selfish prevents individuals from fully enjoying life.