How to Be a Proper Ogre
By Kelly DiPucchio; illustrated by Janie Bynum
Ages 2-5
Move over, Shrek — there’s a new family of ogres in town in this hilarious modern fable about finding your voice.
Mary Beth doesn’t quite fit in with her family of ogres. She’s not green. She’s not gross. She’s not scary.
But when Mary Beth has to stand up for herself and her family, she finds out she knows more than she thinks about how to be a proper ogre.
This hilarious modern fable about belonging and finding one’s voice is sure to entertain readers of all ages.
Praise for How to Be a Proper Ogre
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
“[A] boisterous, affectionate celebration of family bonds as thicker than swamp water.”—Publishers Weekly
“Good, righteous, slightly disgusting fun.”—Kirkus Reviews*
“Familiar fairy-tale settings and character types ground the story, while clever details—a camera-toting Papa Ogre and brothers with a quirky command of language—add freshness and humor. ..Delightfully comic illustrations heighten the humor and action. Themes of self-acceptance, diversity, and not judging by appearances are handled with a light touch and a satisfying twist. Readers may come for the nose-picking ogres, but they’ll stay for a story that feels both comfortingly familiar and surprisingly new.”—School Library Journal
“Ink, watercolor, and digital media illustrations humorously capture the ogre’s rotten home and the brothers’ many antics. Fun details such as the parents taking Polaroids of their new babies emerging from the swamp, along with lots of ogre-inspired yucky language, will keep readers giggling along.“— Booklist Magazine