Can't Scare Me!

The master storyteller offers a sprightly rhymed retelling of a folktale first collected on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, by Elsie Clews Parsons and published in her Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English. The “oh so wild” little boy who “knew no fear” is warned of the two-headed giant by his grandma, but he is so bold that he scoffs at her warnings and runs off by himself to eat mangoes, play his flute, and sing. Sure enough, his music attracts the two-headed giant, who is not so fearsome after all, but he warns the boy of his much-fiercer older brother, the three-headed giant. Emboldened by the encounter, the boy tempts fate and does indeed meet the three-headed giant, who captures the boy and takes him home for his cook to serve up for dinner. The boy uses his own wits—and his charming musical ability—to escape with his life and with a new understanding of the difference between bravery and daring. Bryan’s rainbow-colored tempera and watercolor illustrations underscore the protagonist’s confidence—we all know he’ll get away—but are also used effectively to portray a truly scary-looking giant. kathleen t. horning