One of comic art’s most respected and pioneering artists, well known for his opera adaptations and beautiful fantasy work, P. Craig Russell is in the process of adapting Oscar Wilde’s famous fairy tales in a series of landmark volumes. This volume includes The Selfish Giant and The Star Child.

The master of wit and irony Published here alongside their evocative original illustrations, these fairy tales, as Oscar Wilde himself explained, were written “partly for children, and partly for those who have kept the childlike faculties of wonder and joy.”

"The Selfish Giant" is a short fantasy story for children by the Irish author Oscar Wilde. The story's plot revolves around a giant who builds a wall to keep children out of his garden, but learns compassion from the innocence of the children. The short story contains significant religious imagery. The Selfish Giant owns a beautiful garden which has 12 peach trees and lovely fragrant flowers, in which children love to play after returning from the school. The Giant put a notice board "TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED". The garden falls into perpetual winter. One day, the giant is awakened by a linnet, and discovers that spring has returned to the garden, as the children have found a way in through a gap in the wall… It was first published in 1888 in the anthology The Happy Prince and Other Tales, which, in addition to its title story, also includes "The Nightingale and the Rose", “The Happy Prince”, "The Devoted Friend" and "The Remarkable Rocket".

When the Selfish Giant decides to build a wall around his garden to prevent the children from playing in it, it becomes barren and stuck in perpetual winter. It takes a wonderful event and the heart of a young boy for him to realize the error of his ways. A classic tale for children, ‘The Selfish Giant’ is presented here with all of Oscar Wilde’s other fairy stories – ‘The Happy Prince’, ‘The Nightingale and the Rose’, ‘The Devoted Friend’, ‘The Remarkable Rocket’, ‘The Young King’, ‘The Birthday of the Infanta’, ‘The Fisherman and His Soul’ and ‘The Star-Child’ – brought to life by Philip Waechter’s bright and imaginative illustrations.

The Selfish Giant, one of our Favorite Fairy Tales, was first published in 1888 as part of Oscar Wilde's collection of children's stories entitled The Happy Prince and Other Tales. That collection of children's stories also includes: The Happy Prince, The Nightingale and the Rose, The Devoted Friend, and The Remarkable Rocket.

A beloved tale that has lasted for generations, The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde, one of the world’s greatest writers, tells the tale of a very selfish giant, his wonderful garden, the curious and playful village children, and, of course, the little child who changes the giant’s heart. A beloved classic in English literature, The Selfish Giant may be Oscar Wilde’s greatest story of redemption and forgiveness. Newly illustrated by renowned artist Jeanne Bowman, this fantastic edition of this famous tale showcases Wilde’s story in a pallet and composition that will delight and inspire both young and old and will become a family treasure to be read again and again.

A little jewel of a book in a new illustrated edition of Oscar Wilde’s beloved tale The children loved to play in the Giant’s garden, but when he returned after years away, he said, “What are you doing here?” and the children fled. This is the classic story of a giant whose gloomy outlook and self-centered ways are changed by a remarkable tiny child.

After seven years, the Giant has nothing left to say to his friend the Cornish ogre, and so he returns home to his castle—only to find that in his absence, the children have been playing in his beautiful garden. At once the selfish Giant builds a high wall to keep the children out of the garden. Winter turns into Spring all over the country—but not in the selfish Giant's garden. Across the country Spring turns into Summer and then to Autumn—but in the selfish Giant's garden, the trees refuse to bloom and the birds refuse to sing; they miss the children. The selfish Giant lies shivering in his large bed while Hail, Snow, North Wind, and Frost dance across the garden. But one morning the Giant hears a beautiful noise—what could it be? An unexpected ending gives the story a poignant, wistful quality, and Bill Bell's dazzling illustrations breathe new life into this classic tale. And adults familiar with Oscar Wilde's work will enjoy seeing this gentler, softer side of Wilde. The Selfish Giant is a beautiful book for parents and children to read together during any season.

With brilliant illustrations by a master of comic art, the lyrical prose of this fairy tale by Oscar Wilde is brought to life. A hideous dwarf is captured in the woods and brought in to the court of the beautiful royal infanta for her amusement. He is full of good humor and tricks and becomes quite popular but remains quite unaware of his looks. She has him perform in front of her friends for her birthday. He is very touched and quite proud to receive such attention, until he sees himself in the mirror and realizes their entertainment may be at his expense. Perfect for middle school students as an introduction to the world-famous author, the dazzling illustrations in this book suit the timeless writings of Wilde.

Wilde's tales are adapted into a comic book format and use fairy tale elements and Christian symbolism.