This was not one of my favorite reads. I do not quite understand the message as fully as I have understood the messages in the other books. This book entails a fantasy a sleeping giant has of being in love with the moon. Throughout the years, the Sleeping Giant becomes a small town in which everyone remains absolutely quiet in order to prevent from waking the giant. When a teacher is reading this book to first grade class, they may interpret the book differently than reading to a group of third graders. This book takes you on a journey of overcoming ones fear without interruption of people around you. It is about being different no matter how people perceive you. ( )

Carolinda Clatter is an original fairy tale by Gerstein that explores the importance of communication and an individual's perceptions. Carolinda is the first loud person born into a town that was scared it might accidentally wake the giant that sleeps beneath the earth. The book focuses on individuality and expression as more important than the status quo.

The town is very quiet so that they don't wake the giant that the people live on. However, Carolinda is very loud. She loves to make all types of noise. She wakes the giant, but sings to the giant to soothe him until he fell asleep. She encouraged others in the town to sing and had visitors from all over the world come to hear their music. ( )

Carolinda is born into a town that has been quiet for centuries so that it does not wake the giant upon whom the town is built. However, Carolinda is anything but quiet, so she ends up waking the giant, and then has to save the town. ( )

Summary: A giant who is alone in the world without anyone to love him. So he falls in love with the moon. The moon is cold to him so he gets sad and cries himself to sleep. He sleeps for thousands of years and a town is built on him. One day Carolinda is born and she is very very noisy. She wakes the giant with her singing. The giant wants to get up, but that would destroy the town. Carolinda convinces the giant to stay asleep.
Review:I can see how Mordicai Gerstein won the Caldecott Medal because the artwork in this book is great. Excellent use of color really expresses the mood. I like how it was written as a mini folk tale.
School Use: The students could develop a story about their home town and how it was saved by a young person. Maybe a cartoon strip could be made out of their stories.