2010/32 pgs.About the Book: A big rotten ogre rules the villages. He's ugly, angry, and always hungry and he doesn't mind wreaking havoc and snacking on the townspeople. Until one day a young girl shows him kindness and the ogre isn't sure how to respond.
Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: If you're a fan of Norton Juster (The Phantom Toolbooth) and wry humor, you will enjoy this book. The book reads like a fable or fairy tale and it makes a great picture book for older readers. (The ogre does eat people, so if you have sensitive readers, this might not be the book for them.)
The narration is hilarious. The ogre has a large vocabulary "due mainly to having inadvertently swallowed a large dictionary while consuming the head librarian in one of the nearby towns." The ogre's encounter with the young girl is very funny and I think young readers will get a kick out of her nonchalance over having a terrifying ogre visit her garden.
At first I didn't like the illustrations, but the more I look at the book, the more I like them. There are two different styles used-one for the ogre and one for the townspeople. It's somewhat subtle but it does make the ogre stand apart. There are also great expressions on the ogre's face and the two page spread showing the ogre trying to scare the young girl did make me laugh out loud.
The Odious Ogre would be a great read for someone looking for a humorous picture book to read to 3rd-5th graders as I think they would appreciate the humor and the moral of the story.
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