This is a captivating story about the the huge statue of a Mysterious Giant who stands in front of a Church in the little Italian town of Barletta. The people of Barletta interact with the Mysterious Giant everyday, but an oldest one in all of Barletta, Zia Concetta, has a special bond with the statue. She greets him in the morning and at night Zia Concetta would call, "...good night, Big One."
When an army of a thousand men threatens to destroy the little town, Zia Concetta asks the Giant to step down off the pedestal and frighten the army away. The oldest woman and the Giant come up with a plan to save the village which includes an enormous onion, hiding the townspeople, and having faith in the Mysterious Giant. Their plan to trick the army is rather clever, I didn't see it coming - I would imagine that children would find it hilarious!
We can see some of de Paola's favorite themes at work in this book: Self image ("They call me names, like 'tiny' and 'weakling'" as in Oliver Button is a Sissy), Magic (as in many de Paola books), Italy, the old woman (as in Strega Nona and others), Catholicism, and others that I am just not thinking about right now... The illustrations are rich as usual. The interesting use of color capture the mood and feelings represented in the folktale.
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