Giant and the Olive

Leo Daly is the son of iconic South African Illustrator and writer Niki Daly. He lives with his wife Magriet Brink in a tiny house by the sea on the southern tip of Africa. You can follow Leo and Magriet @we_are_creativehouse on Instagram.

“Lovely illustrations in saturated colors, revealing cozy cottages, the lush greens of summer, and the fluffy deep snow of winter, are the highlight of this simple tale of loss and love.” – Booklist“Truly joyful! Despite scaring cows and laughing loud ho ho ho’s, this giantly giant has an enormous capacity for love. The story leaves us with the hope that one day we may spy him lying under a huge olive tree. What a dear friend he would be! Daly’s fresh, clear illustrations do justice to the story and never overwhelm, or scare the reader, but intrigue with quirky details of the giant’s tiny teeth, his squishy nose and the way his eyebrows show how he feels. From the moment he raises his arm in greeting on the first page, we know he is a giant to be loved! And when the story reaches its saddest point, it’s the white blankness of the page that captures the emotion and the sense of loss. Just wonderful!" — Dianne Hofmeyr, author of The Magic Bojabi Tree and Storm Dragon“Original, exceptional, charming, memorable … unique and unreservedly recommended for family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library love and loss themed picture book collections for children ages 4-10.” — Midwest Book Review"This little parable encourages children to think of what they love and how loss can be endured. Like Where the Wild Things Are, Daly’s book tackles our fears and triumphs with humor and grace." — The Book Tree