The Giant Carrot

Another variant of the ‘Enormous Turnip’ story, only this time it is a carrot being pulled out of the ground by gardener Jack and his family. Furthermore, they are all named: Bob, Betty, Bertha, Jack, and so are their successively smaller animal friends (a dog, cat, hen and mouse). Another slight change is that it is gardener Jack’s big sneeze (caused by all the dust being stirred) which helps the final tug to get the giant carrot out.

The illustrations are attractive and the text is sometimes set in wavy rather than straight lines for effect, along with varying font size, which adds graphic interest. Though not offering a particularly imaginative new take on an old story, this title has enough to appeal to its intended audience.