The Selfish Giant and Other Tales

Every afternoon, on their way home from school, the children went to play in the Giant's garden.

It was a large, lovely garden with soft green grass and flowers like stars. There were twelve peach trees with pink blossom in spring and rich fruit in autumn. Birds sat in the trees and sang so sweetly that the children stopped their games to listen. "How happy we are here!" they said to each other.

One day the Giant came back. He had stayed with his friend the ogre for seven years. After seven years he had nothing more to say, because he did not have much conversation. So he came home to his castle and saw the children playing in the garden.

"What are you doing here?" he shouted in a very rough voice. The children ran away.

"My garden is my garden," said the Giant. "Anyone can understand that. Nobody will play in it except me." So he built a high wall all around it. Then he put up a sign.