Christopher: The Holy Giant

by Tomie dePaola

A celebrated illustrator presents his interpretation of the legend of St. Christopher, who originally had been a giant named Reprobus out to serve the world's most powerful king, a ruler he finds when he carries the young Christ across a river.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Religion, Catholic, Christian, Christianity, Fantasy

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1994

About the author

Tomie dePaola (pronounced Tommy da-POW-la) was best known for his books for children.

He had a five-decade writing and illustrating career during which he published more than 270 books, including 26 Fairmount Avenue, Strega Nona, and Meet the Barkers.

Tomie dePaola and his work have been recognized with the Caldecott Honor Award, the Newbery Honor Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure.

Reviews

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely--brought me to tears. dePaola's note at the end won me over completely; he wanted children to know this story after Christopher was removed from the calendar in 1969 since he probably wasn't historical. Yet, that doesn't mean the story has to die. He cites Caryll Houselander: "[she] believed that the stories of the saints rivaled many well-known fairy tales in their beauty and appeal for children." And, may I say, dePaola's books have beauty, interpreting truth, that has appealed to at least six generations of readers in his lifetime, and many more to come now that he is kept in blessed memory.

[Set · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like Christopher and this book does a great job showing you the legend of St. Christopher. The thing is that although Tomie dePaola may not care whether St. Christopher may or may not have existed, it is very important to know. The reason being is that people pray to their patron Saints so naturally the church is not going to canonize a Saint unless they know fore sure that the person is in heaven and you are not praying in vain to the wind. That being said, I do like St. Christopher and his story brings joy and delight to the christian hearts.

[Shari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread in honor of one of our favorite author/illustrators Tomie dePaola who passed away recently. RIP in Tomie and thank you for your wonderful contribution to my family's reading enjoyment over the years 🙏

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple and beautiful retelling of the tale of St. Christopher, who like Pluto, lost his official status but still remains beloved by those who are moved by his story.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Celebrated children's book author and artist Tomie dePaola retells the folktale concerning the giant Reprobus and how he became Saint Christopher in this appealing picture book. Living in the land of Canaan, Reprobus decided he wished to serve the greatest king of all, and soon set off to find him. When the king he selected showed fear of the devil however, he decided that it must be the devil he was meant to serve. Then the devil showed fear of Christ. Finding Christ was more difficult than finding kings and the devil, but with the help of a holy monk Reprobus was soon a Christian, and went to perform good deeds by using his great strength to carry travelers across a dangerous river. It was here, while carrying a seemingly small child, that he finally met Christ, and through his actions in bearing him through the raging waters, and carrying the weight of the world, became Christopher, the "Christ-bearer..."

Although I have read quite a few folktales concerning saints, I don't think I have encountered a picture book retelling of this specific story before, so I was interested to read Christopher: The Holy Giant. I've heard of St. Christopher of course, as he's the patron saint of travelers, and I've known people who wore St. Christopher medals, for protection. I was also vaguely aware of the tradition that he bore Christ across a river (as dePaola mentions in his note, there are numerous works of art depicting this incident), but I wasn't aware that he was a Canaanite, or that his original name, in the stories about him, was Reprobus. In Latin this means "rejected" or "base," and is the etymological root of the English word reprobate. In any case, I found the story fascinating, and also moving. There is significance, I think, in the fact that it proved easy for Reprobus to find and serve worldly kings and the devil himself, but that finding and serving Christ required more effort. It was also significant that Christ would be a heavy burden to carry, as he himself carries the weight of the world. There was much to ponder in this one, and I found the artwork as appealing as the tale. My absolute favorite book by dePaola, both as a child and an adult, is his The Clown of God , and I think it is in the telling of religious stories, like that one and like this, that his style is at its best. In any case, this is one I would recommend to those looking for stories about St. Christopher, as well as to fans of the artist.

[Ebjourney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this story of Christopher, which was fascinating. Christopher is a giant and he decides he wants to follow the greatest king, and it goes through his journey. He finds one king who is known as the greatest king. But he finds out he is afraid of the devil. So he finds a devil to follow, but then sees that the devil is afraid of the cross of Christ. So he decides to follow Christ, but he doesn't know where he is. I just thought it was a neat illustration and story of things I have seen in different friends' lives. The story of him getting people across the river and kind of a child Christ showing himself to him was interesting. I appreciated the story, as far as who really is the greatest? As a Christian, I do believe Jesus, God. He is. But other than that, it was a great story.

[Desi A · Rating 3 out of 5]

An accidental library find and a very interesting one at that. We've read it twice now, but both times JP was really sleepy, and I think that the mystical/allegorical nature of the story is stumping him.

Geez, Tomie dP sure has a lot of books! :)

[Nicole Roccas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, simple retelling of the legend of Reprobus, later re-named St. Christopher (Christ-bearer), after carrying Christ across a raging river. The artwork melds contemporary illustration with Byzantine motifs. Suitable for Orthodox and Catholic children of all ages.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely tale told and illustrated by one of the best children's authors. Done in dePaola's distinctive style, this story is charming and keeps the traditional story of St. Christopher alive even as it has become more obscure.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in catholic school every year in Advent. My dad always wore Christopher's medal. I always wanted a copy for my nieces but it was out of print until now! I bought this one, Petook, and a liturgical year for them - all by dePaola. Recommended.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A giant of a man named Reprobus wants to serve the most powerful person he can find. So he seeks a king, and then the devil, and then Christ. I enjoyed the inclusion of the idea that sometimes we serve Jesus without realizing it by serving seemingly "little" people.

[Paula Greenfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of Christopher who did as he was told to do by a man of God and God's plan for him.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a wonderful legend. Beautiful story.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this book props for the artwork, but was disappointed by the absence of cynocephaly.

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is an interesting story about the well-known St. Christopher, patron saint of travelers, taken from the realm of Catholic lore. Christopher's story, of how he seeks out the most powerful king the world has to offer and ends up searching for Jesus, only to end up unwittingly aiding Jesus by helping him (in the guise of a small child) across a dangerous river, reads like a folk tale in some ways. The story is beautifully brought to life in this book by the effervescent artwork of Tomie dePaola. The illustrations do a good job of evoking a different feel to an old tale that has been told and retold faithfully in many families through the years.

I would give one and a half stars to Christopher: The Holy Giant.

[Deanna Sutter · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a the story of Christopher the patron saint of traveling for Catholics. It was a nice story about Christianity. I didn't agree theologically with some things in it (I don't think that Christ came to him in the form of a child and talked to him for one thing), but it was still worth reading to my kids.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a legend I had never heard before. I appreciated that it was being passed on down to children, but I don't think I would put much stock in its claim. Still, I enjoyed the pictures and would probably recommend.

*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2009...

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Saint Christopher is aite. I found it interesting that Tomie dePaola's big reason for writing this book is that he worried people would forget about Christopher after the Catholic folks removed him from their calendar of saints or whatever. No way is Christopher going to get forgotten as long as there are St. Christopher traveler medals to be sold!

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of the giant who wanted to serve the most powerful king. First he served a king, then he goes to serve the devil, then, seeing the devil shake in fear at a cross, he goes in search of Jesus.

After carrying the Christ child across a river, he becomes St. Christopher, patron saint of travelers.

[Hazel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tomie dePaola writes beautiful stories and has amazing pictures to go with them.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this simple but powerful story. Its message of seeking to serve was inspiring.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a retelling of the legend of the Catholic saint Christopher.