Davy Liu, The Giant Leaf

The Giant Leaf

Davy Liu

Winepress Publishing, Apr 2007, $19.95

ISBN: 1579218644

Every night the exhausted Kendu the fox dreams of a giant leaf, which he believes means freedom from slavery under cruel beasts who own him. He finally escapes through a hole in the ground to the Out There.

Kendu meets Yitzhak the monkey who also dreams of the giant leaf while worried that the ferocious Animal eater is cutting down the trees. Kendu and Yitzhak head to the Wilds in search of the giant leaf.

They meet a weeping koala bear Odalia whose mate Gula is missing. She too dreams of the giant leaf.

In the Wilds the trio sees the Animal Eater, but fear confronting it as they also see creatures inside it. As lightning and thunder fill the air with the implication of a storm to end all storms about to occur, the threesome must decide to "take a giant leaf of faith" or hide from the Animal Eater.

This is a fantastic retelling with superb illustrations of one of the great tales from the bible. Though targeting children, adults will appreciate this delightful personification saga of three courageous animals on a quest for freedom and to rescue Gula; not prepared for what awaits them at the end of their journey.

Harriet Klausner