THE LEGEND OF THE DREAM GIANTS

A lonely young giant ventures into a town in search of food only to learn hard lessons about humankind and his own storied lineage.

Berg may be a giant who is greatly feared, but he himself is a child, hungry and looking for companionship. After he is injured, Berg is rescued by Ünhold the Giant and learns about his star-blue-sand–magic. Fearing the giant, who has a fearsome reputation, Berg flees to Eisenstadt, where he meets young, red-haired Anya, who is unafraid, curious, and kind. It’s his experiences in Eisenstadt that force Berg to come to terms with the coexistence of humankind’s darkness and sweetness and the age-old truth that things are not always what they seem. Hansen has created a compelling world that gives the feel of an old-fashioned fairy tale coupled with beautiful, black-and-white illustrations that contain echoes of the art nouveau era. These depictions of bears and wolves tell the story of Berg’s dreams, representing the quiet power of giants and the vicious persistence of humans. This artwork is stunning and heavy with emotion; for example, one shows a baby bear clinging to its parent as the parent’s life and magic slip away into the sky. Berg’s friendship with Anya is heartwarming and heartbreaking, as is his relationship to Ünhold. Hansen’s lilting writing has the feel of an epic poem, a tale of growing wise and of learning how to both hold on and let go.

A moving and evocative must-read.