Summary: This story, set in Ireland, is about a great giant, Finn McCool who is a strong warrior yet very happy and friendly with the people of Ireland. With all his great strength and kindness, he lacks wisdom. In his search, he goes to the old man who lives in another village, who is known to hold the secret of wisdom, and asks him how to gain the secret. The old man had been waiting for Finn because he knew he would do the most good with it, he instructed Finn to go to the River Boyne and catch the great fish, cook it and eat it. Within the fish lies the wisdom of the world. So Finn goes fishing and eventually catches the salmon. He finds he cannot find himself to kill it and in return the fish speaks to him. Something magical happens and Finn gains the wisdom from the fish without having to kill it. He does well in the eyes of the people and the fish, and finds the old man has disappeared leaving behind a path of what might have been brilliantly colored fish scales.
Implementation: With a laugh at the end and beautiful illustration, this tells a very nice story. To implement this book in the classroom, I would do text to text compare and contrast lessons with different giants (Jack and the Beanstalk). Also, students could practice their foreshadowing techniques. Since there is some Irish slang in the book, a geography lesson as well as cultural diversity could be tied to the story.
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