Where the Giant Sleeps Review

Has anyone ever done the definitive, scholarly study on why Russian illustrators kick butt? Seriously. There's tons of them around, dribbling paint across many of my favorite picture books.

In this one, a sleeping child's imagination takes over, and fairies, witches and other magical beings slumber throughout a dream landscape that takes the shape of a dozing giant. The trees are his hair, for example, and a tilled field forms striped trousers.

That's it, really, plus some simple, rhythmic text that also rhymes, to set a quiet tone for bedtime.

But the real star here is Radunsky, who blends a surreal touch to the rounded figures and coarse brushstrokes on handmade paper for a blurry, otherwordly feel that's slightly out of focus, as if the boy's sleeping brain was just flitting through it. The illustrations are laid out as if on a map to reinforce the dreamscape idea.