You may have heard the tale behind Giant Trouble before. It revolves around a real-world place called the Giant's Causeway, that is imbued with special qualities in Irish folklore. Giants notwithstanding, the causeway appears to be the result of volcanic activity, but it does have the appearance of a man- (or Giant) made bridge. The story beyond its construction goes into the battle between two giants, and how intelligence and trickery can overcome brute force. Giant Trouble isn't exactly a non-violent parable, but it does illustrate how keeping a cool head in the face of impossible odds can help. It also makes for a fun story with kids who will appreciate the underdog aspect of Giant Trouble; it's the same feeling one gets while cheering for Jerry against Tom, or Roadrunner against Wiley Coyote...
The price is right at one dollar, considering how brief the experience is for all but the earliest readers. A few add-ons that would greatly elevate Giant Trouble are more interactivity or game elements, and more historical context. Linking to Wikipedia content around the actual location this story is depicting seems easy enough, or at least to have offered a few pages explaining the legend of the place... Similarly, there are lots of ideas for simple games buried in the story that could have been teased out and developed. We've read enough interactive books with kids to know that this is actually a fairly common practice now, so Giant Trouble may leave your little ones looking for more. Considering the extended library Skyreader Media is building for iPad, that may not be a hard wish to grant.
