Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

An oversized gourmand with a penchant for little children has a change of heart (and stomach). Who could blame the Giant of Jum for eyeing his daily fare of broccoli with more than a modicum of distaste? Inspired by "Jack and the Beanstalk" (and conveniently forgetting the ending), the giant sets out to fill his tum with tots. Yet each time he encounters potential prey, they end up getting him to help them fetch their ball, save their cat from a tree, and so on. When he finally meets a boy named Jack, his proclamation that he intends to devour the lad is met with skepticism on the part of the other kids. They hand over a massive cake they've special ordered for him in thanks, and the giant comes away with the undeniable realization that "Chocolate's much better than children!" The cadence of the lines dances on the pages, perfectly playing off the old "Fee Fi Fo Fum" rhymes with eloquence and aplomb. Fully embracing the spirit of the enterprise, Davies has a great deal of fun with the images, filling their corners with animals hiding not-so-cleverly from the perpetually hungry ogre. The giant himself never crosses over into the truly scary; he is depicted as a gargantuan white man with a house for a hat. The children are a multiracial crew. Fee fi fo fum / A merry old tale that's No. 1! (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

An oversized gourmand with a penchant for little children has a change of heart (and stomach). Who could blame the Giant of Jum for eyeing his daily fare of broccoli with more than a modicum of distaste? Inspired by "Jack and the Beanstalk" (and conveniently forgetting the ending), the giant sets out to fill his tum with tots. Yet each time he encounters potential prey, they end up getting him to help them fetch their ball, save their cat from a tree, and so on. When he finally meets a boy named Jack, his proclamation that he intends to devour the lad is met with skepticism on the part of the other kids. They hand over a massive cake they've special ordered for him in thanks, and the giant comes away with the undeniable realization that "Chocolate's much better than children!" The cadence of the lines dances on the pages, perfectly playing off the old "Fee Fi Fo Fum" rhymes with eloquence and aplomb. Fully embracing the spirit of the enterprise, Davies has a great deal of fun with the images, filling their corners with animals hiding not-so-cleverly from the perpetually hungry ogre. The giant himself never crosses over into the truly scary; he is depicted as a gargantuan white man with a house for a hat. The children are a multiracial crew. Fee fi fo fum / A merry old tale that's No. 1! (Picture book. 4-7)

School Library Journal (Mon May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

PreS-Gr 2The Giant of Jum is off to find a snack, preferably a child named Jack. Along the way he inadvertently does three good deeds, including carrying a little Jack Snack on his back. Because of this, the townspeople think he is a kindly soul and bake a treat for him. When he informs them he's come to eat children, they tell him, "Nice giants always eat cake." This satisfying take on tales about the giant and Jack is written in clever rhyme with perfect pacing. Even the traditional bits have a fun twist: "'Fi!' he said, and 'Fee!' he said, and 'Fum!' he said, and 'Fo!' he said." Davies's delightful artwork teems with little critters who are running or hiding from the title character (one rabbit family even lives in the Giant's hat) and wonderfully adds to the text. For example, one scene shows all the creative ways the children attempt to get a cat out of a tree before calling on the Giant to help. A charming marriage of text and art, this book will stand up to repeated presentations again and again. VERDICT An excellent read-aloud for class visits as well as a lovely bedtime story recommendation.Hillary Perelyubskiy, Los Angeles Public Library