Giants
A child's grief story
Giants is a story about a little boy whose father passes away. It gives the reader a glimpse of the point of view of the little boy as he tries to navigate his world without his father in it. What does grief look like? Or, what does grief look like from the perspective of a child? What does a child see, when everyone in their world must appear so tall? Do they appear as Giants? Even when thinking of my own children...I myself stand at about 5'8, yet to my children, like the other adults in their lives, I must appear a hulking figure?
And yet, once upon a time, we ourselves were only two or three feet tall, but as we grow into adulthood we tend to forget our former, childhood perspective. But when I wrote "Giants," all those years ago, the memory of that perspective hit me at once. So that now, whenever I close my eyes, I can immediately remember my father's wake, and being a lost, little boy, walking among a room full of Giants. It's as though I am hardwired to remember the enormity of that event in my young life. But try to imagine for a moment, how it must feel from a child's perspective what all the Giants look like, and just how difficult it is to suddenly lose your parent, but not really understand what that even means? Your parent has died, the Giants come, and then one day, they will all go away. Soon, you are left with one grieving parent and what must feel the weight of the world.
About the Author
A. E. McIntyre
A.E. McIntyre lives in Chester County, Pennsylvania with his wife and three children. He lost his father in 1978, just two weeks before his fifth birthday. He wrote Giants one night in college, as a recollection of his father's wake. That loss was one of his earliest memories. Most of his early memories involve his father being sick, and in the hospital. He often says, that the memory of his father's wake, is where all of the other writing comes from. A.E. McIntyre is the author of "Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall; A Life from Moment to Moment." A study of grief reflection, with a focus on mindfulness.
About the Illustrator
ElisaBeth Steines
ElisaBeth (Beth) Steines is an artist and high school art teacher who lives with her husband Tom, son Eliot, Boykin Spaniel mix Bodhi, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Jasper and fluffy kitty Clover. She resides in the picturesque Chester County, PA during the school year and the majestic Martha's Vineyard in the summers. Beth and her husband love hiking and studying the indigenous wildlife. She also has a particular fondness for ancient Celtic culture and art and studied abroad, in Scotland, while doing research for her thesis on the Celtic Art Revival. Beth received her BFA from Maine College of Art. Her semester studying in Scotland took place at Edinburgh College of Art. She earned her post-baccalaureate from Moore College of Art and her Masters from Immaculata University. Beth works in many art mediums including but not limited to oil painting, watercolors, pastels, metalsmithing and woodworking. Her Grandfather, Robert Godfreid Chaunce, was an artist and some of her earliest memories were of sitting in his studio and watching him work. Her brother, who is also an artist, and Beth had their earliest art lessons from their Grandfather. When he passed away, she inherited his watercolor painting pallet which she still uses today. Beth loves teaching art and sharing the art world with her students. She is currently a high school art teacher at Collegium Charter School in Chester County, PA.
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