Princess Pru and the Ogre on the Hill

Young children can take a fun romp through fairytale land and learn more about empathy and accepting others in Princess Pru and the Ogre on the Hill. Pru has almost a perfect life…except for the giant ogre on the hill. The ogre ruins Pru’s rock band rehearsals as well as her hide and seek and tag games by barging in. Pru, however, begins to wonder if the ogre is simply lonely and wants to join in on the fun. But her two dads are unconvinced and believe that it’s too risky to be friends with an ogre. Then the ogre begins to act out of the ordinary. Much to the townspeople’s horror, he’s buying cupcakes, food, craft supplies, balloons, and begins cleaning his house! The ogre then sends everyone in the kingdom an “ominous message” inviting them to his house. Pru’s two king dads speculate about all the terrible things the ogre could be up to, but Pru decides to go to his house anyway. Pru thinks it could be a party! When she arrives, the ogre asks Pru if it’s true that princesses don’t like ogres. When Pru assures him it isn’t true, the party begins. All the townsfolk, the two kings, Pru, and the ogre (who is named Oggy) have a blast at the party. Oggy and Pru become fast friends, and Oggy even joins the royal rock band.

Maureen Fergus has written a fun and light story that has a twist on traditional fairy tale characters. The message that we shouldn’t judge people before we know them is a clear moral to the story without being overly didactic. Young children will have fun guessing what the ogre is up to during his strange behaviour. The vocabulary is rich and full of word play, such as “orge-licious cupcakes”. There’s a wonderful rhyming section when we are first introduced to the ogre:

He was hulking and hairy, fearsome and scary.
His toenails were crusty.
His gray ears dripped goop.
And his breath stank like socks dunked in rotten egg soup.

The lines are so delightful and musical that I was hoping they would be repeated throughout the story so children could join in. Unfortunately, they are not, but the verse is changed at the end of the story to exalt Oggy’s virtues:

He was faithful and funny, helpful and sunny,
A listener, a playmate, a pal through and through,
A kindhearted friend who would always be true.

Danesh Mohiuddin’s illustrations are a seamless match to the text. They are colourful, whimsical, and almost comic booklike, particularly in the emotion shown in faces. The illustrations are full page, and each page has been thoroughly planned for maximum visual impact. Small visual details, like the playful antics of the three royal tarantulas, add to the story throughout the book. His depictions of the ogre and the fear on the faces of the other characters perfectly balance a bit of discomfort and lighthearted humour, even for the youngest readers. The illustrations are so well done that, if the text were removed, it would be a completely understandable and thoroughly enjoyable wordless picture book.

While the story and “surprise” ending are too predictable for older children,Princess Pru and the Ogre on the Hill is an excellent choice for young readers. The fun text and rich illustrations make it a solid pick for younger audiences.