The Five Giants

Kidder, Daniel P. (Daniel Parish), 1815-1891Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.6

Word count: 14K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Five Giants by Daniel P. KidderAuthor: Kidder, Daniel P. (Daniel Parish), 1815-1891,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Jul 31, 2010

Editor's review

The Five Giants by Daniel P. Kidder is a collection of English allegorical stories for young readers, classified under juvenile literature in Project Gutenberg. The "giants" in the title are not mere monsters but personifications of human failings such as laziness, gluttony, and pride; through the protagonist's encounters with them, the stories convey virtues of self-control, diligence, and courage. The narrative adopts the admonitory tone common to nineteenth-century children's literature, with simple plots and short chapters that suit reading aloud or reading in segments, and that also make it accessible as an early narrative text for English learners. Its value lies in the moral imagination and religious atmosphere of Victorian children's books, offering reference for those studying the history of children's literature or English teaching. Readers today expecting complex characters and adventurous twists may find it preachy; but as a freely available public-domain work, it still offers a small window onto old-fashioned childhood reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Learners seeking short English fables for reading practice
Readers studying nineteenth-century children's books and moral education
Parents choosing public-domain English read-aloud material for children
General readers interested in allegorical character symbolism

Not a good fit for

Young readers who prefer modern fantasy adventure plots
Beginners in English who need a Chinese translation or bilingual notes
Readers expecting rigorous literary analysis or deep character portrayal

Reading tips

Read chapter by chapter according to each "giant," and after each chapter summarize in one or two sentences the weakness it symbolizes.
Use it as read-aloud material, reading a short section each day; when encountering unfamiliar words, first guess from context, then verify.
Have the child retell the story and discuss: what might these "giants" look like in real life?

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What exactly are the "five giants"?

Judging from the title and nineteenth-century children's literature conventions, they are human weaknesses or vices personified as giants, and the stories revolve around how the protagonist faces and overcomes them. The specific name and plot of each giant should be based on the original text; readers can identify the symbolic target from the table of contents and chapter titles, and need not apply a fixed interpretation in advance.

What age group is this book suitable for?

As a public-domain English children's story, its language and length are friendly to upper-elementary to middle-school readers with some English foundation, and it is also suitable for parents to read aloud to younger children. If the child is just starting English, parent-child reading or accompanying audio is recommended; if the child wants exciting plots, modern works should be chosen instead.

Why is it said to have a preachy tone?

Nineteenth-century children's literature often used stories to carry explicit moral education, and this book's narration often states the lesson directly, with relatively clear good and evil in its characters. This is both a feature of the era and a key to understanding old-style children's reading; today's readers can treat it as a historical text and discuss the differences between its values and those of the present.

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About the author

Kidder, Daniel P. (Daniel Parish), 1815-1891 Author · American · 1815–1891

Daniel P. Kidder (1815–1891) was an American Methodist missionary and writer. He carried out missionary work in Brazil, where he also compiled religious publications intended to spread faith and moral teaching among local readers. His writing served the purposes of mission and religious education, using plain language and content suited to ordinary readers. The library holds one of his works, The Five Giants; because public information is limited, its specific subject and influence are difficult to describe in detail, though it appears to continue the religious orientation of his writing. Overall, Kidder worked as a missionary and writer, leaving a record in Brazilian missionary activity and the compilation of religious literature, and his works offer a glimpse into nineteenth-century American Methodist overseas missionary publishing.