Shrek!

Shrek!
written and illustrated by William Steig, 1990, New York : Farrar, Straus, Giroux. (0374368791).

Author/Illustrator Website: http://us.macmillan.com/author/williamsteig

Media: ink and watercolor

Awards and Honors: Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books of the Year; School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

Recommendations: Booklist; Bulletin-Center Child Books; Children's Book Review Service; Elementary School Library Collection; Horn Book; Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review; New York Times; New York Times Book Review; Parents' Choice Awards; Publishers Weekly; School Library Journal, Starred Review; Washington Post Book World

Annotation:
William Steig's tale of a repulsive ogre who meets a stunningly ugly princess and falls in love.

Personal Reaction:

      I adore William Steig and this book is a real treat- bizarrely literate, offensively comic, and with a happy ending to boot. Shrek is a repulsive anti-hero; he can spit fire ninety-nine yards, snakes die if they bite him, and his terrible fumes make people faint. When his parents kick him out of the hole where he lives, he goes out into the world to seek his fortune. The first person he meets is a witch who gives him a prediction: "A donkey takes you to a knight-/ Him you conquer in a fight. Then you wed a princess who/ Is even uglier than you". (The characters in Shrek have a tendency to speak in rhyming, often hilarious, verse.) Shrek continues his travels, causing chaos and wreaking havoc wherever he goes until he meets the princess (who is absolutely foul). It's love at first sight, of course, and they end up living "horribly ever after".

     Hilarious and smartly written, Steig turns the traditional fairy tale on its ear with Shrek. It's a great accompaniment to books like Robert Munsch's Paper Bag Princess that get children to think critically about the values typically espoused in fairy tales.

Sophisticated Language:
"Soon he came to a peasant singing and scything. 'You there, varlet,' said Shrek. 'Why so blithe?'"
"Oh, ghastly you,/ With lips of blue,/ Your ruddy eyes/ With carmine sties/ Enchant me."
"Your horny warts, your rosy wens,/ Like slimy bogs and fusty fens,/ Thrill me."

Rhyme:
"Pheasant, peasant? What a pleasant present!"
"In here a fearless knight, in there a well-born fright."
"Not so brave, thou churlish knave!"
"Do me the honor to step aside, so Shrek can go to meet his bride."