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The Giant's Toe
"Once there was a giant out hoeing in his cabbages. The hoe slipped and he gave his foot a mighty wack.
'Ow!' he cried. 'I must have cut off my toe.'
But when he found his toe among the cabbages it had changed. It hardly looked like a toe at all.
And that is just the beginning of the surprises the giant is in for. Imagine a toe that talks back, meddles in your affairs, and is responsible for the loss of your most precious possessions. The giant is furious. Yet each time he tries to get rid of the toe it reappears in an unexpected way. Only when the clever toe manages to save the day--and the giant--does their battle of wills take a turn for the better.
'Ow!' he cried. 'I must have cut off my toe.'
But when he found his toe among the cabbages it had changed. It hardly looked like a toe at all.
And that is just the beginning of the surprises the giant is in for. Imagine a toe that talks back, meddles in your affairs, and is responsible for the loss of your most precious possessions. The giant is furious. Yet each time he tries to get rid of the toe it reappears in an unexpected way. Only when the clever toe manages to save the day--and the giant--does their battle of wills take a turn for the better.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
23 people want to read
About the author
Brock Cole
29 books30 followersBrock Cole was born a year before the Second World War in a small town in Michigan. Because of his father's work, his family moved frequently, but he never regarded these relocations as a hardship.
"I thought of myself as something of an explorer, even though my explorations never took me very far. I had a deep and intimate acquaintance with woodlots, creeks, lakes, back streets, and alleys all over the Midwest."
He attended Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, and received a doctorate from the University of Minnesota. After teaching philosophy for several years at the University of Wisconsin, he began writing and illustrating books for children.
"I had always wanted to write, and I loved to draw. I had small children, who were a wonderful audience. Children's books seemed a perfect fit."
His first book, The King at the Door, was published in 1979. Among his other picture books are The Winter Wren, The Giant's Toe, and Alpha and the Dirty Baby.
He now lives in Buffalo, New York, where his wife, Susan, teaches at the State University of New York. His sons both live in Athens, Georgia. Joshua teaches French history at the University of Georgia, and Tobiah is a painter and works as a waiter. Joshua is married to Kate Tremel, a potter and a teacher, and they have a little boy named Lucas.
Brock Cole's acclaimed first novel, The Goats, was published in 1987. It is set in the Michigan countryside of his childhood and captures the story of two loners' struggle for self-identity and inner strength after being made the targets of a cruel prank. In a Horn Book Magazine editorial, Anita Silvey wrote: "The Goats reaffirms my belief that children's literature is alive and thriving." Betsy Hearne, editor of The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, lauded The Goats as "one of the most important books of the decade."
In Brock Cole's second novel, Celine, sixteen-year-old Celine, a budding artist, is living with her young stepmother, only six years older than Celine herself, while her father is teaching in Europe. Celine dreams of escaping this situation, but she becomes involved with caring for Jake, her seven-year-old neighbor, who is going through his parents' divorce.
Since he began his writing career, Brock Cole and his wife have traveled a good deal, living for one year in Washington and another in Germany, as well as spending frequent summers in Greece and Turkey.
"To be honest, I simply tag along after Susan. It's her research which takes us all over the place. I enjoy it immensely, though. There's something about sitting down to work at a rickety table in a strange city that clears the head. It's the best thing for a writer, or for this one, anyway."
"I thought of myself as something of an explorer, even though my explorations never took me very far. I had a deep and intimate acquaintance with woodlots, creeks, lakes, back streets, and alleys all over the Midwest."
He attended Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, and received a doctorate from the University of Minnesota. After teaching philosophy for several years at the University of Wisconsin, he began writing and illustrating books for children.
"I had always wanted to write, and I loved to draw. I had small children, who were a wonderful audience. Children's books seemed a perfect fit."
His first book, The King at the Door, was published in 1979. Among his other picture books are The Winter Wren, The Giant's Toe, and Alpha and the Dirty Baby.
He now lives in Buffalo, New York, where his wife, Susan, teaches at the State University of New York. His sons both live in Athens, Georgia. Joshua teaches French history at the University of Georgia, and Tobiah is a painter and works as a waiter. Joshua is married to Kate Tremel, a potter and a teacher, and they have a little boy named Lucas.
Brock Cole's acclaimed first novel, The Goats, was published in 1987. It is set in the Michigan countryside of his childhood and captures the story of two loners' struggle for self-identity and inner strength after being made the targets of a cruel prank. In a Horn Book Magazine editorial, Anita Silvey wrote: "The Goats reaffirms my belief that children's literature is alive and thriving." Betsy Hearne, editor of The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, lauded The Goats as "one of the most important books of the decade."
In Brock Cole's second novel, Celine, sixteen-year-old Celine, a budding artist, is living with her young stepmother, only six years older than Celine herself, while her father is teaching in Europe. Celine dreams of escaping this situation, but she becomes involved with caring for Jake, her seven-year-old neighbor, who is going through his parents' divorce.
Since he began his writing career, Brock Cole and his wife have traveled a good deal, living for one year in Washington and another in Germany, as well as spending frequent summers in Greece and Turkey.
"To be honest, I simply tag along after Susan. It's her research which takes us all over the place. I enjoy it immensely, though. There's something about sitting down to work at a rickety table in a strange city that clears the head. It's the best thing for a writer, or for this one, anyway."
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 28, 2019
Read at a friend’s house. A giant cuts off his toe in a gardening accident. The toe outsmarts all the giant’s attempts to get rid of him . I appreciate the gore and absurdity alongside the whimsical illustrations. This must be an old folktale—they don’t write them like this anymore.
January 16, 2013
Brock Cole shifts Jack and the Beanstalk to a different spectrum, flipping rather than fracturing the classic fairy tale. The giant is illustrated as a little old grumpy man (he looks a bit like John McCain); the adventures with his "toe" are sweet and funny. Paired with the original, you could have a great discussion about heroes and villains.
May 10, 2023
I loved this quirky twist on the traditional Jack and the Beanstalk story. Really love Cole's illustrations.
May 15, 2009
This is another one for my storytelling class that I did perform.
It's about a giant who accidentally cuts off his toe, and the toe turns into a little boy. The little boy keeps causing trouble (all in a failed effort to help the giant), so the giant keeps trying to kill the little boy.
The illustrations have a naked little boy with...um...undefined genitalia. There also is a level of (attempted) violence that you don't see in children's books these days. It was fun to tell though. The giant's deep voice hurt my throat, but it came off much funnier through storytelling than it does just reading it, which was my intention. I also liked that it ended up being a cute and surprising twist on a fairytale.
It's about a giant who accidentally cuts off his toe, and the toe turns into a little boy. The little boy keeps causing trouble (all in a failed effort to help the giant), so the giant keeps trying to kill the little boy.
The illustrations have a naked little boy with...um...undefined genitalia. There also is a level of (attempted) violence that you don't see in children's books these days. It was fun to tell though. The giant's deep voice hurt my throat, but it came off much funnier through storytelling than it does just reading it, which was my intention. I also liked that it ended up being a cute and surprising twist on a fairytale.
October 15, 2011
Pure nonsense, and the illustrations are just as goofy as the text. We loved it.
There’s a little boy that runs around naked throughout this book. If you have a three- or four-year-old who runs around naked, you’ll probably love this book.
There’s a little boy that runs around naked throughout this book. If you have a three- or four-year-old who runs around naked, you’ll probably love this book.
September 18, 2012
The story is about a giant who accidently slices off his toe. Then, his toe turns into a little boy who foils the giant's every works. The toe named Jack will learn his rightful place in the giant's affection
January 18, 2013
A little strange, and with a slightly higher level of violence than you usually see in kids' books anymore, but I thought it was so cute. I'm surprised that people haven't tried to ban it for the same reason they've challenged In the Night Kitchen.
June 1, 2011
Loved this funny children's book about the Giant from Jack and the Beanstalk. Very clever.
December 23, 2016
Brock Cole is the man; go see for yourself.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews