The Giant of Seville: A "Tall" Tale Based on a True Story

In the 1870s, a circus giant named Captain Martin Van Buren Bates (nicknamed the "8th Wonder of the World") left the circus and set off to find a town where he and his wife (also a circus giant) could live in peace and away from the ridicule of judgmental or fearful neighbours. Captain Bates happened on Seville, Ohio, a sleepy little town that charmed him from the moment he arrived and welcomed him with open arms. In this story, the town constructs a special giant-sized house in which he and his wife can live comfortably, based on the true story of how Captain Bates built a home on 130 acres of farm land in Seville, complete with specialised furniture and 8-foot high doors. Containing a brief author's note and archival photo, children will relate to the heart-warming story of a man who couldn't fit in anywhere, but how the kindness of strangers changed his life. Martin and Anna Bates were history's tallest known married couple are still Seville's most famous residents.