Customer Reviews

Fin M'Coul: The Giant of Knockmany Hill

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First let me note that if you want to read up more about this character of folklore you should use a more common rendition of his name such as Finn McCool or Fionn mac Cumhaill. If you believe the stories, he was singlehandedly responsible for much of the geography of Ireland and Scotland, in the same way that Paul Bunyan is responsible for the Great Lakes!

The story is hilarious, from Fin's worries to his tricky solution to his problem of not wanting to fight, and the illustrations only enhance the words.

I will note that, like most traditional stories, there is some gratuitous violence, but what can you do? That's how the story goes. Besides, most children are such bloodthirsty beasts that they're quite happy with fingers getting bitten off, so long as it's clearly over-the-top and unrealistic :)

However, if that's the sort of thing that concerns you then you should definitely read this book before you buy it.

I read this to my son's 2nd grade class (7-8 year olds) and they really enjoyed it. They loved looking at the pictures to see giants & "regular-size" folk together. And they laughed aloud as Fin & Oonagh tricked the bad giant Cucullin (and at my Irish accent)!

I read this to my son's 2nd grade class (7-8 year olds) and they really enjoyed it. They loved looking at the pictures to see giants & "regular-size" folk together. And they laughed aloud as Fin & Oonagh tricked the bad giant Cucullin (and at my Irish accent)!

My son really likes the Tomie De Paola books that we have, and I ordered this one since I really thought he would like the giant theme. I really liked the book up until the Giant's finger gets bitten off by Cucullin and he pounds the daylights out of the giant. Had I know that aspect was in the book, I would not have ordered it, so just beware.

Not only was the product shipped promptly and free of charge, but I got an unexpected bonus: 4 for the price of 3....how can I complain?

Tomie Depaolo is one of our families favorite authors and illustrators. He brings alive the rich diversity of every culture he writes about. He has brought history and culture to this generation growing up, like no one else can. I am so glad he shares his gifts with our children! This book is a good example of bringing folk tales alive through story books.

This is such an entertaining story, and it has the wonderful illustrations of Tomie de Paola. I am an elementary school librarian, and I read this book to my third graders. They love it! I know a book is a hit when it gets spontaneous applause at the end. It does have a little violence, but isn't that true of all fairy tales and folk tales? Children will certainly enjoy this book, and so will the adults reading it with them.

This book is just so cute. A great story to read to your class or wee little ones on St. Paddy's day or any day.

love this book! They "get" the trick Smart Oonah played on Cucullin. They squeal with delight when he bites down and breaks his teeth. It's not every day the bully gets his due.
It has nothing to do with St. Patrick's Day but I read it each year and they've never been bored!

Wonderful book for my Grandson - aged 6 - we read the story to him and he was enthralled. So much so, that he made us read it to a group of his friends. The style of writing was simple to understand and well illustrated with cartoons.