The Miami Giant

The Miami Giant

Leaving Italy to search for China, the great explorer Giuseppe Giaweeni accidentally stumbles across Miami, where he discovers a lost tribe of dancing giants and enjoys a brief stint in show business Grade 1-4?Children will need a knowledge of history and a pretty sophisticated sense of humor to enjoy this book to its fullest; it's apparent that Yorinks and Sendak had a fabulous time creating it, but something seems to have been lost in the translation. Explorer Guiseppe Giaweeni leaves Italy to look for China with the King and Queen's blessing?"And don't be a stranger" ringing in his ears. Instead of China, he discovers Miami and a lost tribe of Giants called the Mishbookers who reside there. After some horse trading and fast talking, Giaweeni convinces Joe to return to Europe with him. Joe is billed as the Eighth Wonder of the World and, after much anticipation, performs before a packed theater. Unfortunately, the people in the audience misinterpret Joe's dance and, thinking he's gone berserk, flee for their lives. Giaweeni returns the giant to his family and heads out to discover new lands. And the Mishbookers, well, they moved to Long Island, "But this is not a proven fact." The Yiddish phrases, sprinkled throughout the narrative, provide much of the story's amusement. Sendak's watercolors overflow the pages, with larger-than-life characters and activities. Visual puns, such as a boot stepping on a china plate, add to the book's broad humor. The text's comic patter partnered with the slapstick illustrations are reminiscent of a vaudeville act?there's a lot of adult humor here, and quite a bit that kids will find downright silly.?Karen K. Radtke, Milwaukee Public Library Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. Ages 5^-9. Two giants of children's literature tell a comic-book story of a Gulliver-Columbus-knight, who discovers the Jewish natives of Miami in all their primitive splendor. Giaweeni leaves Italy to look for China, but he swerves a little and "brilliantly" stumbles on a lost tribe of dancing giants, the Mishbookers of Miami. They "led a simple primitive life. They ate. They slept. They went bowling." He shows them the modern wonders of the telescope and iced tea. They show him their beads and comfortable beach chairs. He brings a giant back alive to become a star in Europe, but the show bombs, and the giant goes back home to Miami. Some of the in-jokes and the parody, verbal and visual, will be more appealing to adults than young children. But the exaggerated illustrations have the elemental appeal of the cheerful vulgarity of stand-up comedy and of sports and celebrity hype. The discovery quest is a sly commentary on all our exotic stereotypes. The European nobles are as brash as the Miami natives; in fact, the two groups look a lot alike, and both sometimes bear a distinct resemblance to those Wild Things we all know. Hazel Rochman