The Ogre Who Wasn’t

Princess Clara finds a small ogre in the palace garden near a pond, and because she’s terribly lonely—her mother has died, and her father is always gone—she takes him home and keeps him in her shoe. (Digitally finished colored pencil and watercolor artwork by Gravett reveals glimpses of the ogre, whose green body and big eyes suggest a more familiar creature.) While the little ogre “was very happy,” Princess Clara dislikes her solitary life as well as the persnickety nanny who makes her dress up, the butler who forbids skipping, and the gardener who calls her “nuisance child.” When the ogre asks Clara about her dearest wish, events unspool quickly and triumphantly. Imaginative vignettes are full of motion and charm, and in the hands of Mopurgo, fairy tale elements are shuffled and reassembled to produce a telling that feels both fresh and familiar. Primary characters are portrayed with pale skin. Ages 3–7. (Oct.)