Zeralda's Ogre

"Once upon a time there lived a lonely ogre. Like most ogres he had sharp teeth, a bristling beard, a big nose, a big knife, a bad temper, and a huge appetite. Of all things, he liked little children for breakfast the best" (from text). And he wanted to eat little Zeralda, too. But, fortunately for her, he made a mistake. And as a result of this mistake he never ate little children--or anybody--again. Zeralda had a lot to do with this change of eating habit. She didn't outsmart him or use magic, but she did eventually fall in love with and marry him. Can you imagine that! (This folktale-like picture book will be thoroughly enjoyed by primary grade students, especially as a read-aloud.) [[ASIN:1587365219 A Non-Workbook, Non-Textbook Approach to Teaching Language Arts: Grades 4 Through 8 and Up]

One of the incredible Tomi Ungerer's best books. Someone please bring Zeralda's Ogre back in print. There's a dark side to this tale, but it is a masterpiece! My library's copy is in shreds, but I can't possibly throw it out!

The story of a little girl and how her skills in the kitchen win over the child eating grumpy ogre, is something that should be shared with everyone. This is such a sweet tale, of how love and a love for food can cure even the grouchiest of us adult ogres. I've yet to find a child that doesn't enjoy this book or the pictures. Tomi Ungerer is right up there with the likes of Dr. Suess and Steven Kellogg.

The subject is very Grimm's fairy tale, an ogre that eats children; the tone, and the illustrations, are not. The ogre is shown walking down the village street with a bag over his shoulder, a child's arm is sticking out! But the picture includes lots of other details - children being hidden in cellars, and a depessed looking teacher in gown and mortarboard; the text with this picture says that children went into hiding, schools shut and teachers were unemployed. The light tone fits the story-line, which is, that the ogre accidentally comes to taste young Zeralda's wonderful cooking, goes off eating children, and they have a long, happy, life, spent throwing extravagent dinner parties (a lavish sample menu is illustrated).

This classic book is one of my childhood favorites. Growing up, it reached mythic proportions in my memory. I recently bought it for my 2-year-old daughter, and she loves it too. It's a memorable tale of a nasty ogre who craves little children until a guileless girl converts him with her prodigy-like culinary genius.Zeralda's Ogre is great on a number of different levels. It has a scary element that I loved when I was a kid - kind of a Grimm's Fairy Tale aspect. Now that I'm a grown-up, I recognize a terrific sly sense of humor in it as well. The illustrations are great - filled with fun little details (bugs, lizards, etc.) that little ones like to seek out. And the descriptions of Zeralda's masterpieces are great.I can't recommend this book strongly enough - I just wish the hardcover was still in print!