Monday, November 28, 2011

Lynette, Rachel. Ogres (Monsters).


Lynette, Rachel.   Ogres  (Monsters). 
Cengage (Gale,Lucent,Kidhaven/Blackbirch 2011  48p   27.50 978-0-7377-5075-1 
elm/ms                  E-BNS 

Traces the history of ogres from tales found in Germany, France and the British Isles. It
highlights their appearances in literature, tales and film.   Similar creatures
are Orcs and Oni.       Beginning with Grendel in Beowulf and old fairy tales
from Germany, ogres are always shown as ugly, huge and horrible, and they eat
humans.  They are similar to the Oni of Japanese tales and have some
similarities with Orcs.  Several of the old tales are briefly told.
  Bringing the creatures to life is the work of film and animation artists.  The
Orcs in the Lord of the Rings movies are mostly from the imagination of the
artists.  Shrek was shown to be lovable in the movies.
  The text is very readable but includes plenty of information to meet the needs
of middle school students.  The illustrations enhance the text and credit is
given for each of the images.  There is a glossary and the words are highlighted
in the text.  The list of resources for further information include some of the
fairy tales as well as books and web sites on the making of the modern movies
which show ogres.  The index is very extensive for the length of the book.
  This is an excellent resource on the subject that will attract students just
browsing but it is also packed with information. The Monsters series includes
well-researched texts on the different weird, creepy and mysterious creatures.
There are 38 titles pending or in publication.  Theal, Joan

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