How Do You Feed a Hungry Giant? Book Review
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How Do You Feed a Hungry Giant? Book Review
by Caitlin Freedman, illustrated by Shaw Nielson
How Do You Feed a Giant? is the cutest interactive kid’s book I’ve seen in quite a while – my boys love it! PLUS it comes with a little cookbook pamphlet so you can make your kids the same recipes that the giant in the book eats!! This is the story of a little boy name Oscar (and his dog Cowgirl!) as they come across a GIANT in their backyard!
What is a little boy supposed to do when he finds a giant in his backyard??? Well feed him of course! And feed him he does – a lot and a lot and a lot! Until mommy finds out….and then she feeds him too! It’s a great story of sharing and caring as this family helps out a very hungry giant. It was a great learning lesson for our children to go along with our holiday efforts in helping other families out who need more than we do.
Every page has something to touch, pop out or pull which makes it great for kids. Even the cover of the book has a pull out of the giant! Below you can see the cookbook that came with this recipe to feed a giant kid (or 8 small kids!). We love this book and recommend it if your child loves a good story and especially if your kids like touching and pulling things! (what kid doesn’t?!) You can see a sneak peek into the book on Amazon as well as purchase it there too.
Below is an interview with the author and a GIANT recipes for your kids!
Pizza-Size Chocolate Chip Cookie
Vegetable Oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips or white chocolate chips
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 14-inch pizza pan with vegetable oil and set it aside.
2. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together into a large mixing bowl.
3. In another mixing bowl, beat the butter, both sugars, and vanilla together until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Slowly add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, beating until well blended.
5. Stir in the chocolate and peanut butter chips.
6. Spread the dough in the prepared pizza pan, pulling it and folding over the edges to make a rim.
7. Bake until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.
8. Let the cookie cool slightly and then cut it into wedges to serve.
Ginormous Blueberry Muffin
For the topping
Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into very small pieces, chilled
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
For the muffin
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting the pan
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed and drained if frozen)
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with butter or vegetable oil, dust
it with flour, and tap out any excess flour. Set the pan aside.
2. Make the topping: Combine the cinnamon, butter, flour, and brown sugar in a small bowl, and stir together well with your fingers. Set it aside.
3. Make the muffin: Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, and set it aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, blend the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the milk and sour cream, and blend again.
5. One cup at a time, add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, stirring it in well.
6. Fold in the blueberries very gently, so they don’t break and turn everything blue.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle the topping over the batter,
and bake until a knife inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
8. Let the muffin cool slightly in the pan, and then cut it into wedges to serve.
Interview with the Author Caitlin Freedman
Q: What was the inspiration behind the story?
A: Well…I would have to say my kids. They were six when I wrote this story…the age of the priceless questions. You know what I’m talking about…do your toes ever stop growing? Why do chickens have wings if they don’t fly? I am sure that there was some Saturday morning that Declan (Oscar in the book) asked me how much food a giant would eat.
Q: How can parents use Hungry Giant to talk to their children about the importance of charity?
A: The story is about a little boy helping to feed a lonely, hungry giant he finds sitting in his backyard. Oscar has a big heart and so does his mother…and at no point are they scared by the giant’s size. I used this story and Oscar’s instinct to help to talk to my kids about the opportunities they have in their day to help those around them. I also talked to them about thinking a little bigger…yes, you can help the boy in your class pour his milk AND you can help a boy you have never met by donating a can of food. If you are lucky enough to have what you need then you have a responsibility to help those that don’t.
Disclosure: I was not compensated for this review. I received a book to read in order to form my own opinions. All opinions are 100% my own.