The Secret History of Giants by Ari Berk

The Secret History of Giants Reviews

• 
  GoldGato

  Are there Giants among us? Of course!
  
  Under the earth I go,
  Among the oaks I'll stand.
  I'll sleep below mountains,
  Whose names are unknown,
  And I'll cradle their roots in my hand.
  
  By the Order of the Golden Quills, this book shows the history of the Secret Folk, aka "Giants". Since we no longer see the Big Ones anymore, this is a handy volume to know what and where to look for hints of where they be.
  
  
  
  
  Stonehenge? Who actually believes a bunch of Druids placed "stones" in a circle. I certainly don't. Those are Giant's Teeth, obviously. And mountains...those are the Giants who have fulfilled their life's destiny on earth and have gone into Earthfasting, whereby they sleep and the moss and ivy cover the Long Sleepers. That's why some hills have faces.
  
  
  
  
  There are several species of Giants:
  
  Gigantes Vulgaris
  The most humanlike, they can live to 120 years and are 9'-24' in height.
  
  Gigantes Medius
  These are the Giants most mentioned in old texts. Many grow horns as they live as part of the Earth and reach heights of up to 70 feet.
  
  Gigantes Giganticus
  Nearly extinct, they are barely distinguishable from rocky mountains, several hundred feet high.
  
  This is a much needed book to have, so I can be more perceptive on my walks in the Old Lands. I never became bored, for there were secret slots to open and an inundation of information. Worthy.
  
  Book Season = Autumn (Earthfasting begins)
• 
  mel🕯

  i read this book so long ago but i remember having loved it
• 
  Matt

  While waiting around in the kid’s area of the bookstore I noticed this book. So I picked it up to kill some time and couldn’t stop reading it. It reminded my of when I was kid and I used to read my Grandpa’s copy of Gnomes by Wil Huygen and Rien Poortvliet. I would spend hours reading that book and staring at the illustrations. I even forced my mother to buy and put up Gnome wallpaper in my room. A fact that my mother will never let me live down.
  
  Professor Berk explains that he is a member of The Order of the Golden Quills who have archived the long lost knowledge of the giants. Other members of the Order include Merlin, Alexander the Great, Francis Bacon and William Shakespeare. The Order has housed all their artifacts in what is known as The Hall of Giants. From their collection and evidence found in nature Professor Berk walks the reader through what is known about giants, such as their lore, clothing, children, etc. He even explores the mysteries of the giant’s sack (not as dirty as it sounds).
  
  The art in the book is absolutely gorgeous, all the way from the cover to all the strange and interesting illustrations inside. The art inside is fascinating in its detail and will set your imagination into overdrive. You will then find yourself looking in the woods for evidence of giants. Just watch out for their sacks as it better to be a passenger and not the meal.
  
  What I liked: I loved art inside the book. It was done in a way that lends to the style of the book and makes it seem more authentic. The illustrations alone are worth the price of admission.
  
  There is also a ton of tidbit information about giants such as recipes for Fowl Pie and Old-Style Sheep. Professor Berk also weaves the history of the giants in with the well known nursery rhymes, for example he explains how the old woman came to live in a shoe.
  
  What I didn’t like: The last third of the book explores different parts of the world that have had a history of giants, such as giants in the Americas, Celtic Giants and Norse Giants. While this part was well done, I found it to be less interesting than the first part of the book.
  
  Last word: Hey, it is fun for the whole family and will inspire you or your child’s imagination. And don’t blame me the next you drive by a hill and wonder if there is a giant living there.
• 
  Roux Stellarsphyr

  Yes, part of the reason that this book gets five stars is because I am a 5-year old boy struggling in a 23-year old's body.
  
  If you personally aren't into books geared towards the imaginative, you should reconsider.
  
  Those of us, though, who enjoy fanciful thinking, folklore, or just want to play pretend that there are mythical creatures among us should find this book exceptional. Berk has made an interactive book (complete with cute little fold-outs) that not only is readable to most ages (I'd say 5 or 6 and up) but also acts like a true information book outlining the culture of giants. If there were such a thing as giants, this would be the book to introduce fledgling academites.
  
  Immediately after cracking open this book, I went out to discover Berk's other works, and I'm very interested in reading more on mermaids, hobgoblins, and how to be a viking.
  
  Reinvigorate your childhood.
• 
  Julie

  This is a very fast but highly entertaining read, one of those books targeted at kids but enjoyable for adults, too. It purports to be a book about giants: their history, their lifestyles, their jobs, and so on. It's beautifully illustrated and full of little pop-ups and fold-out pages, reminiscent of some of my favorite childhood books.
  
  Ian and I had the same favorite part, a pop-out cookbook which details the recipe for "Old-Style Sheep," which I'm going to reproduce here from memory:
  1. Take 12 sheep.
  2. Put in mouth.
  3. Enjoy.
  4. Repeat as desired.
  
  See? Isn't that cute? I easily read through this book in an hour, and it was an hour well spent. I recommend this book to anyone with kids, or anyone who feels like being childlike for an evening.
• 
  Regina Hunter

  This book was given to me by a very special persona s a gift. It took me a while to get to it, but I'm glad that I did. History of Giants is amazing work of fiction with combination of new and old legends. Artwork itself is just breathtaking. I will do everything in my power to preserve this book, I hope my children will see it, along with others from this series.
• 
  Dana Al-Basha | دانة الباشا

  My first Ari Berk book!
• 
  ava _ nvn

  I got this book at a scholastic book fair in middle school. Now, I'm in my junior-coming-on-senior year of high school and I've finally managed to make time for it. It, uh, wow it sucked.
  
  Now, I'm not dragging the book for being children's literature (I wouldn't be pleasant company if I made the habit of that), but even as children's literature, it fails to engage and just doesn't understand the age group it's going for.
  
  For example, there are some pretty wordy passages here, like "legate, boughs, clitter," and "espied"; words that no child would ever know. And, by the time you do learn those words, the book starts to sound patronizing. Like, do you seriously have to sell that giants are real? Everybody knows by now that they are, who are they trying to convince?
  
  In short, I wish that the book could've been better. I'm sad, mad, but worst of all, disappointed (◕︵◕)
• 
  Nancy

  I possess the both the English and Finnish ("Salaista väkeä Kookas Kansa") versions of this charming book by the wildly talented Dr. Ari Berk, author of "Death Watch."
  
  Not only is the lore meticulously researched, the books have delightful little interactive elements like a small envelope that contains extra-secret information or a inner page that opens--backwards--to reveal additional arcane knowledge about these ancient creatures.
  
  Even if the inside of the book wasn't worth the purchase (and believe me, it is!), the cover detail, the binding, and the color-coordinated tasseled book mark make it the sort of small tome that will made a great conversation starter when displayed on your coffee table.
  
  
  http://www.adlibris.com/fi/product.as...
  
  Published Candlewick Press, Cambridge, MA
• 
  Vonnie Crist

  The title page of the book tells us "The Secret History of Giants" was "Written And Collected by Ari Berk, Magister and Scribe." And with the addition of delightful illos by Wayne Anderson, Douglas Carrel, Gary Chalk, Kevin Levell, and Larry MacDougall the book has the look and feel of a scrapbook or journal. There are diagrams, apparent "pasted on" scraps of paper, flaps and booklets, and pages that "unlock" into double-wide spreads. Yes, there is a lot of fascinating folklore here, but more importantly, this book is fun for fantasy lovers.
• 
  Madeline

  Really charming encyclopedic type compilation. The illustrations are fantastic, and the book itself is a beautiful addition to a home-library. They reminded me of similar books that a friend had on various fantastical subjects. I always wished I'd had some like them. So I'm thinking this will be a series and my wish will come true!
• 
  Duane

  To me, this book seemed advanced for kid readers. The wording is complicated and the font styles are difficult to read. The illustrations are nice, but overall, I think this book would appeal more to adult readers. A nice short encyclopedia style book that discusses the different aspects of giants and their lifestyles.
• 
  Danielle Alexandria

  This book encapsulates all that is mysterious and magical about childhood and mythology. Every page is filled with hilarity that both kids and adults will love, and every page is highly interactive with tiny paper doors to be opened and tiny scrolls to be unfurled. It transported me back to that childhood realm where the fantastic just might be possible.
• 
  Zoe

  This is overall a neat book, and I think the illustrations are the best things about this book, although the descriptions of giants in it are rather few. There isn't a lot said about them, and some of what is said (such as the list of favorite giant expressions that are basically just a list of rock and mineral names), is lacking in ingenuity. Nice, but could be better.
• 
  Melissa Bennett

  What a wonderful book on a wonderful subject. I loved reading all the info on giants. The book is nicely put together with little flaps, wonderful artwork and a beautiful bookmark. I love looking through my book and never get bored with it. I highly recommend it to any one interested in giants.
• 
  Jay

  This book was great. The book itself is a piece of art. The embossed cover, thick pages; different types of pages with hidden flaps and pop ups. I loved it. It took me to a world that seemed plausible and that's what made the fantasy seem real.
• 
  Dana Al-Basha | دانة الباشا

  I absolutely LOVE this book! The art, the myths, they seem so real, so convincing! Th names, the stories are stuck in my mind!
• 
  Nicko Gibson

  An adventure through the mythology of Giants, elves, trolls etc. Dynamic and artistic book.
• 
  PottWab Regional Library

  A