Shaq and the Beanstalk and Other Very Tall Tales - Hardcover

Celebrity children's books don't have a great reputation--but this one deserves to be a big, big exception. You don't have to be a Shaquille O'Neal fan to enjoy his clever spins on familiar fairy tales. Shaq's adventures begin when he is about seven or eight and throws his lima beans out the window instead of eating them. Of course, a beanstalk grows, he climbs it, and he meets George the giant. After a few misunderstandings (George wants to eat Shaq), they come to an agreement. Shaq must deliver cookies to George's grandmother (setting the stage for a retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood") and recover the hen that lays the golden basketballs (who ran away during Shaq's fight with the giant).

In six dynamic, photograph-splashed tall tales, Shaq meets the three bears, encounters the billy goats Gruff, and finally makes it home. You can hear Shaq's voice in the telling ("...there before me stood the biggest Big Man I'd ever seen. I'll tell you, if this guy had skills, he would have done well in the NBA."), and he takes pains to include some advice for living ("I have always believed that fighting is the loser's way out."). All in all, these are terrific stories, told with skill and a big heart. The fact that they come from a 7-foot-tall physical genius should only make them more appealing. (Ages 4 to 10) --Richard Farr

Kindergarten-Grade 4-Two highly appealing elements (Shaquille O'Neal and fractured fairy tales) come together in a collection of stories featuring Shaq as a boy. It begins when he is served lima beans at dinner and throws them out the window so he won't have to eat them. Of course a beanstalk grows overnight, and he climbs up to find a giant named George and a Hen That Lays Golden Basketballs. From there he gets to "-outwit the Big Bad Wolf-hang out with the three bears-march in a parade with a real live emperor-and trick a nasty troll. What an adventure!" These larger-than-life tales are related in a vernacular, "gee-whiz" style that suits the book well. While not especially distinctive from a literary point of view, the retellings are clever and fast paced and will go down as easily as a big plate of pancakes at the Three Bears' house (Shaq hates porridge). The bright pictures successfully combine bold paintings, full-color photographs, and lots of white space to create a thoroughly contemporary look. Children will enjoy the offbeat humor and visual surprises. This title will surely score high points with sports fans and/or reluctant readers.
Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
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