Grégoire Solotareff

"The Ogre And The Frog King" tells of a mean ogre who feasts on small animals and how he is twarted by a tiny yet brave frog. Tricking the ogre, the brave frog manages to save the lives of the forest animals from the monster forever. The creative artwork, while colorful and distinct, matches the slightly darker and grim tale. This book might be too much for younger readers, but does teach a nonviolent way to deal with bullies.

The art is charming, but the text didn't quite grab me. Not bad, it just seemed as though it wasn't evoking the right mood in me. Sometimes it was amusing, but more commonly it felt like an in-joke from which I was out. Lots of witches and cats in saturated colors with strong lines.

Library copy

Although this book is in French, I did read it in English. It was about an orge that ate many small animals, until one day a frog wearing a crown made him believe that he was a giant frog. The frog saw how afraid the orge was, he told the orge that he was not allowed to eat anymore animals. Not partically one of my favorites, but I can see myself reading it to my students because it shows bravery and wit.

Fantastic little book, funny, evil with some fantastic pictures. It's all true, of course...