The author and the illustrator of THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH--together again! This is the story of a really rotten Ogre who is extraordinarily large, exceedingly ugly, unusually angry, constantly hungry, and absolutely merciless. He terrorizes the entire countryside and all the surrounding towns, wreaking havoc, sowing confusion, and dining happily on the hapless citizens. Nothing can stop him. But then he takes a wrong turn and encounters a kind and friendly young lady who does her best to help him--with a surprising result. PreS-Gr 2–There is nothing as satisfying as a job well done, and this ogre is beyond satisfied. In fact, he doesn't have to do anything anymore to scare the villagers. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, however, he goes about his business of snacking on them whenever the mood strikes him. Until one day, that is, when he comes upon a beautiful girl in the forest, and she is not afraid of him in the slightest. She sees beyond his odor and hideous face and assumes he is a good person at heart. She offers him tea and muffins and extends every kindness that she can think of. Thrown off guard, the ogre tries every trick he knows to frighten her but nothing will rattle this optimistic young girl. The befuddled and frustrated ogre tromps off through the forest and, well, the odious ogre is no more. Juster's language and imagery are playful throughout. For example, he describes the villagers' unsuccessful attempt at hiding from the ogre by noting that they “stuffed their ears with stale cake.” What child won't chuckle at that image? Later, the ogre complains that the girl is not “the docile dumpling he expected.” The ogre is correct; she is no docile dumpling. Feiffer's loose, colorful sketches are as cartoony as this over-the-top story demands. The text is a bit long for storyhour but the clever repartee and fun illustrations make up for that in spades. Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA © Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Juster and Feiffer, the legendary team behind The Phantom Tollbooth (1961), join forces again, this time for a hairline-fractured-fairy-tale picture book. A terrible ogre is used to the status quo of being hysterically feared and gobbling up people whenever it fancies him. So you can imagine how surprised and upset the marauding giant is to encounter a young girl who hasn’t ever heard of him, isn’t the least bit scared of him, and invites him to tea. The ogre demurs. I can’t be liked. It’s bad for business! Juster’s easygoing narrative displays a charming, kid-friendly sense of humor and the know-how to skewer conventions. Feiffer’s scrawly watercolor compositions dominate the pages (and are themselves dominated by the lumbering ogre). They look terrific even from a distance, making this a natural read-aloud. The double-page spread of the ogre reasserting his bellowing, stomping, blustering, grimacing, twitching, snorting, belching, clawing, and drooling persona is a guaranteed giggler, and the girl’s reaction to his histrionics is a fine example of how to kill ’em with kindness. Preschool-Grade 1. --Ian Chipman NORTON JUSTER is the author of the children's classic THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH. His first picture book, THE HELLO, GOODBYE WINDOW, illustrated by Chris Raschka, won the 2006 Caldecott Medal and was followed by a sequel, SOURPUSS AND SWEETIE PIE. JULES FEIFFER has won a number of prizes for his cartoons, plays, and screenplays, including the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning. His books for children include THE MAN IN THE CEILING, I'M NOT BOBBY!, A ROOM WITH A ZOO, and BARK, GEORGE.