By Astrid Sheckels
If you have a preschooler who loves to hear about quests and who has an eye for detail then let me recommend this picture book to you. Astrid Sheckels has created a thoroughly engaging woodland world, including a map, where fairy tales might truly exist. Five friends explore the Green Wood and beyond in search of a possible giant that they have heard about in their read aloud. Each double spread page is filled with rich illustrations that take the reader from the quiet, peaceful setting of Hector Fox’s living space into the full and then mysterious woods. As they near the Forbidden Marsh the tension builds as these friends encounter mishaps. Sheckels successfully paces the story and pictures by adding shadows and gasping comments until the group finally finds the Giant. Your book reader will want to hear more from Hector and his friends. Thankfully there are two more books in the series, although I have not had the opportunity to read them yet. If you both can’t wait then I strongly suggest that you go on your own bear/Giant hunt and create your own mystery. Have fun!