The Giant and the Sea

A giant stands on the shore, watching the sea. She never moves, never speaks, until the day she turns to a little girl and says, 'The sea is rising.'

The brave girl takes the message to the town. But when the people refuse to listen, the giant must find another way to save them.

Perfect for the children of the Climate Strike, this is a lyrical and deeply moving story about climate change, standing up for what you believe in, and the power of hope.

Winner of the 2021 Environment Award for Children's Literature.

“A book that will hopefully awaken the giant within everyone, The Giant and the Sea is a powerful tale of climate change, self-belief and hope for a positive future. It is a fairytale for those who need to believe that we can change. - West Australian”

A book that will hopefully awaken the giant within everyone, The Giant and the Sea is a powerful tale of climate change, self-belief and hope for a positive future. It is a fairytale for those who need to believe that we can change. - West Australian

Wonder at the lyrical text and divine illustrations in this astonishing hardback book. - The Australian Women's Weekly

Oh, wow! A HUGE Wow. A powerful and breathtaking wow.

From the cover, you know The Giant and the Sea is going to grab at your heartstrings.

You can see the emotion radiating from the giant as she leans down to speak to the girl - a worried look on both their faces.

But I'm not sure I was prepared for just how powerful this picture book is...

There was once a giant who stood on the shore. She watched the water, because that is what she had promised to do.

But one day, the giant speaks to the girl who often visits the shore. She tells her the sea is rising and action must be taken. The girl tries to tell her people. Some believe her, but some are so in love with their machines, they will not heed the giant's warnings.

Sound familiar?

This is an amazing, deep and powerful book. I was glad and also shocked that my six year old understood what this book was trying to say with little prompts. She understood what the machines represented and she predicted what would happen based on the actions of the community in the story.

What I love about this book is that it teaches us something important, but it does so in an engaging way - both through text and illustrations. The story is poetic and lyrical. It puts the little girl centre stage to be relatable for kids and it gives her power and influence to encourage children to stand up for what they believe in. It's also written in a way that forces the reader to pause at all the right spots to encourage reflection of what is happening.

But... you'll find humour, too. Sprinkled through the book is a spark of hope that I believe the story is trying to ignite.

The illustrations are moody and full of emotion. Blacks and greys correctly represent the sadness and danger woven through the story, but golds and yellows also swim through the pages, representing hope and the power to make a difference. The girl wears a gold shirt - the brightest gold throughout the book. Fitting, right?

This is an important book for right now. It helps children (and adults) to see the truth of the world around us.

Trent Jamieson is a true talent in storytelling. Known for his short stories and novels, The Giant and the Sea is his first picture book. And boy do I hope he loved the experience of writing it because I desperately want him to deliver more.

Trent Jamieson (Author)

Trent Jamieson is an editor, bookseller and award-winning writer of science fiction and fantasy, including the Death Works series and Roil duology. His 2015 novel, Day Boy, won the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel 2015, Aurealis Award for Best Horror Novel 2015, shortlisted for the Ditmar Award for Best Novel 2016 and Courier-Mail's People's Choice Queensland Book of the Year 2016, and longlisted for the International DUBLIN Literary Award 2017. He has published over 70 short stories, two of which have won prestigious Aurealis Awards.

Rovina Cai (Illustrator)

Rovina Cai is an illustrator from Melbourne, Australia. Her illustrations evoke a sense of intrigue; images that make you linger, hungry to know the story behind them. She has a degree in Communication Design from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, and an MFA in Illustration as Visual Essay at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Tintinnabula, her first picture book, with acclaimed author Margo Lanagan, was published in 2017 and won the CBCA Crichton Award for New Illustrators. Her work can be seen at rovinacai.com.

A giant stands on the shore, watching the sea. She never moves, never speaks, until the day she turns to a little girl and says, 'The sea is rising.' The brave girl takes the message to the town. But when the people refuse to listen, the giant must find another way to save them. Perfect for the children of the Climate Strike, this is a lyrical and deeply moving story about climate change, standing up for what you believe in, and the power of hope. Winner of the 2021 Environment Award for Children's Literature.

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