The True Tale of a GIANTESS: The Story of Anna Swan by Anne Renaud, illustrated by Marie Lafrance. PICTURE BOOK/NON-FICTION. Kids Can Press, 2018, $18.
9781771383769
BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ESSENTIAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Anna Swan was a real person who was as tall as her father when she was six years old, and continued to grow until she measured ½ inch shy of 8 feet. She appeared in P. T. Barnum’s Gallery of Wonders in New York City, toured the world, and married a man who was nearly as tall as she. What people remember about her is her kind heart, compassion for others, and dignity in a world where so often she just didn’t fit.
A lovely, factual book that somehow conveys compassion and appreciation for all who are different from ourselves. “Windows rattled, dishes clinked and floors groaned wherever we walked,” tells us something of her self-consciousness. The folk-art illustrations seem true to the period.
M. Kijek, Teacher Librarian
No comments:
Post a Comment