Greta and the Giants: inspired by Greta Thunberg's stand to save the world: 1

Product Information

This allegorical story is aimed at 4-7-year olds: the simple, descriptive language and bright, colourful pictures will really capture the imagination of this age group. The story is told just as much through the pictures as through the text. When I started reading this I was surprised, as I expected it to be a picture book depicting the life of Greta Thunberg. I have read a number of books about Greta recently for middle grade and older readers, so I thought a picture book would be a great addition to this collection. This lovely picture book is a useful way for parents and teachers to introduce young children (ages 4-7) to the subject of climate change stressing a positive message. Greta lives in a forest with many animal friends. One day they come to her very upset. The giants are ruining their forest. They are worse than they have been in the past. Greta sees their destruction and knows she must do something to make a change. She stands at the edge of the forest with a sign that has "STOP" written on it. Soon a child joins her, and then another, and another, until the whole forest is there with her.

In allegorical tribute to teen eco-activist Greta Thunberg, a child saves a forest from heedless pillagers. Find out about habitat loss around the world. How is it affecting the plants, animals and people living in the area? I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion; but I think it's important that I say it regardless. That is not what this picture book is though. As the blurb states (which I obviously didn't read properly), this is an allegory (a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.). Once I got my head around the fact that this wasn't a narrative non fiction title about Greta, I was most impressed. It's the perfect starting point to talk about this amazing young activist with young readers.In this story Greta sees how the giants have been destroying the forest around her house and decides to protest in hopes of getting the attention of the giants and convince them to stop. Appropriately for the age group, there is a happy ending for the forest and Greta in this story, so children can enjoy a tale of hope and positivity and friendship. For those feeling inspired though, there are ideas at the end of the story for how to get more involved in campaigning too.

Zoe Perisco’s illustrations are bold, sophisticated, loose, dynamic using subtle tones of yellow, purple, brown, sage and hooker green. The figuration of the giants helps us to appreciate that they are engaged in their lives without much thought for the impact their desires are having on the planet. There are striking spreads in the book, for example the city consuming the forest, the children marching, placards in hands and the resolution images showing us what the world could be like if we all acted to save it. The three circular vignettes towards the end of the story are rather ambiguous despite the text underneath them. The text refers to the behaviour of the Giants after Greta confronts them, but the images look more like the children characters who are doing the protesting. I do wonder if an error has been made here. Lovely art accompanies this story that highlights the importance of climate change, simplifying it enough for small children to easily grasp. It is a fable about a little girl trying to protect her forest from greedy giants who are destroying it. Although the story is more fantastical then realistic, it is really uplifting and has a happy ending. In the book there is a happy end as the giants realize they have been causing damage to the nature by their careless expansion of factories. They completely change their lifestyle and gradually replant the forest to make it even more beautiful than it was before. In real life... we can and should make a diffrence. At the end of the book there are a few suggestions: learn and become more aware of what is happening, ask your caretakers/teacher help you get to a protest or write to politicians and decision-makers, use public transport and persuade your family to take a good look at your carbon print. Every little thing helps and if we start teachingour children that their opinion and their actions matter, perhaps there is a hope for us. Greta and the Giants is a fantastic book based on Greta Thunberg's stand for climate change. The book shows a young girl, Greta, who sees the forest being ruined by the giants and the animals home being lost and so she comes up with a way to stand up for them and to ensure the giants understand how they're effecting the environment. I loved seeing the movement grow little by little, and the child I was reading withunderstood what the protest was and felt excited to read all of the signs that the children in the book were holding. He wanted to know why the giants were destroying the forest, and how they would show they were sorry. This opened up the path for good and valuable discussions.A percentage of the cover price of the book is donated to Greenpeace. Can you find out more about this charity and what they do? The illustrations are quite cute, very colourful and charming. I like the animals with their protest signs. The whole thing is a great starting point for teaching young children about the climate change fight and what some people are doing to try to avoid a planetary catastrophe. It might be too political for some, but it's an important message that everyone needs to hear, whether they agree with it or not.

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Teaching Ideas and Resources:

This children’s picture book is a fable inspired by Greta Thunberg's stand to save the world. Young Greta lives in the forest and one day is approached by the animals of the forest, who are seeking her help to save their homes from the greedy giants. Greta and the Giants is a story about a girl standing up to the giants that come into her forest and start chopping down the trees, and destroying the habitats of all who live there. This is a young children's picture book, and as such it has a positive and happy ending...not necessary a reflection on what is happening in the real world, but for this age group, a satisfying conclusion. It emphasises the importance of speaking up, and how one voice can become many. I know also, that a book can't do all of that and more, but it can keep leading our youth in the right direction. And, hopefully as many adults as possible, because we are the ones that can keep making change a reality. It all starts with us. Without the change we need and the funding for it, the future for our children will become as bleak as Greta explains in this book. This story uses Greta Thunberg as a character in a fairytale with a happily ever after, let me explain. Greta lives in a forest and the animals are being wiped out by giants who have built cities and factories and are killing everything. Greta isn’t afraid of the giants and she stands up to them by protesting. Gradually other children and the animals all join her and begin protesting as well. That is similar to what is happening in the world today. But in this tale, the wonderful thing is that the giants actually listen to them and begin to make changes and save the world.