Carolinda Clatter

Author: Mordicai Gerstein

First line: Once there was a lonely giant who fell in love with the moon.

Why you should read this book: Gorgeous, lyrical, and romantic (in every sense of the word) this is a satisfying tale in the realm of legend, encompassing the adoration of a Titan for a heavenly body and that of a small child for loud noises. In desperation at unrequited love, the giant sleeps so long and so soundly that plants, animals, and human take him for a mountain, albeit one that is shaped exactly like a giant. The people who live on his stomach are superstitiously careful not to wake him until the birth of Carolinda Clatter, whose propensity for noise first imperils and then saves the town.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You believe children should be seen and not heard.