Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this clever fairy tale includes a maiden-eating ogre and the maiden who cuts her way out of the ogre's belly, meanwhile slashing his black heart. This bit of violence is told in prose and doesn't look gory on the page. If kids are fine with the darker moments of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales, they'll be OK with this one, especially if your reading focuses on the clever and humorous elements and the very happy ending.
Families can talk about ogres, maidens, and fairy tales, how real they are, where they come from, and why people tell stories about scary things. Where do you think the title of the book comes from? They can discuss why the girl in this village did not have a real name, how she gets the different names she is called, and what each of them means. How did the girl's names save her? What name did she finally choose? Why did she like that one?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Patricia Tauzer
This is a tall tale with all the earmarks of becoming a classic. The story is engaging, both humorous and a little scary, and the illustrations, from the woebegone look on the girl's face to the ghastly gulpings of the gluttonous ogre, are captivating.
From the start, the reader's sympathies are with the unlikely hero, the poor skinny maiden who is treated very badly by the townspeople. She is so pathetic, she doesn't even have a real name. Rather she is called various things: "Scraps-and-Smells," "Skin-and-Bones," and sometimes "Sweets-and-Treats." Ultimately, though, she proves to be more resourceful than anyone imagined.
In a friendly narrative voice accented here and there with humorous details, poetic chants, and the growling roars of the ogre, Brock Cole tells this story in language reminiscent of classic fairy tales. His lively, expressive rapid-wash watercolors build on that tone by adding even more playful detail; Mice spill out of the grizzled ogre's kettle helmet, the eyes of townspeople bug out in fear as the ogre pounds on the gate, tongues wag, mouths pout, animals squawk through the air in the chaos that ensues.
Cole has written acclaimed books for young adult readers as well as this and other award-winning picture books. He is well known for his humor, his melodic language, and an artistic style somewhat reminiscent of Randolph Caldecott.
From The Book
"What is this?" said the Ogre, snatching up the sack and sniffing at it with his rotten nose.
"Skin-and-Bones!" shouted the girl in a bold voice.
"Skin-and-Bones? NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" shouted the Ogre. He threw the sack back over the wall, and then, reaching into the town, he tore the roof off a house and caught:
Three goats and a hog,
A cow and a dog,
Nine hens, all good layers,
a worthy old dame
Saying her prayers.
And these, too, he swallowed whole.
Plot Summary:
A poor orphaned girl with no name is treated badly by the townspeople until one day an ogre comes to town demanding they give him a wife. Of course, they choose the girl. However, being very clever, she outwits them all, escapes the town and the ogre, and rides away with riches she has earned ... and a special name she claims for herself.
Related Books:
More Books by Brock Cole:
Buttons
The Giant's Toe
Larky Mavis
No More Baths
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