Farmer Giles of Ham

  An Original, Funny Book for All Ages

HappyHomemaker of Oregon, 7/7/2011

We all know J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings. But did you know he wrote other children's stories? Farmer Giles of Ham is certainly a different style than his trilogy, but it is so engaging, warm and funny... perfect for any age that can sit through a story!
So, Farmer Giles is a respectable man, not particularly brave (though his dog thinks he is), and he has a blunderbuss. Which is a good thing, because when a giant strays across his sheep pasture, a shot from the blunderbuss makes him think are there stinging flies around here, so he leaves. But he tells a greedy dragon about the land that has so many free sheep, but bad flies. So begins much more adventure than Farmer Giles would care for. But as he conquers obstacles, his confidence rises until he thinks he actually IS brave! Which is good, because he has to fend off dragons and even kings!
The story came about because Tolkien was making it up for his children, so while the writing is very well-crafted, it is also perfect for reading aloud.