Friday, August 23, 2024

Manham. The Giant Carrot

The Giant Carrot is a children's book "planted" (written) by Allan Manham, and "grown" (illustrated) by Penny Dann, published in 2010. It is available at the Internet Archive.

Here is a YouTube read-along:

There are many plants in Jack's garden besides the giant carrot; the illustrations are delightful, with lots of plants to talk about in the illustrations that are not mentioned in the text. The story is a variation on the Russian "big turnip" folktale: Jack pulls, then Bertha joins him, then Bob and Betty, then Jake the dog and Phoebe the cat, Charlie the rooster and Henry the mouse... and the dust they stir up tickles Jack's nose, and he sneezes, and then Jack makes carrot soup for everyone.

The naming of all the animals plus the fun illustrations (and typography too!) make this a fun book, and a good example of how small, creative changes can result in a nice new story.


No comments:

Post a Comment