Og Meets Mog

February 1, 2024

PreS-Gr 1-The most important thing to know about Og, a little blue monster living with his family in what seems to be a prehistoric ice age, is that he is kind. "This is Og. Og is nice." But the other important thing to know about Og is that he's a top-notch problem-solver. After finding a creature stuck in a block of ice, Og perseveres through a handful of attempts to free the beast. He finally succeeds at melting out a giant cat, Mog, who becomes his pet. "Mog is nice! Og AND Mog are twice as nice." The vivid, cheerful cartoon illustrations round out sharp edges, so that Og's horns and his sweet single tooth look more cute than scary. Books for very early readers are under such difficult language constraints that plot often gets sacrificed for the sake of simplicity. Not so here; this story from the inimitable Dyckman is original and fun, as well as perfect for new readers. VERDICT A series starter that will have readers asking for more Og, please!-Rachel Owens

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2024
Picture book author Dyckman (Wolfie the Bunny, rev. 3/15; How Dinosaurs Went Extinct, rev. 3/23) steps into the beginning reader market with this book for the earliest readers. Og is a turquoise monster with puffy hair, blunt horns, and one tooth -- not even a little frightening. The book uses simple words, short sentences, and a lot of repetition ("This is Og. Og is nice") to ease children just starting to sound out words into this story about the day some sort of creature appears stuck in a block of ice. Og is scared but also determined to get the creature out. Og tries bonking the ice with a log, and when that doesn't work, it's time for a new strategy: "Og can think and make a plan!" For its simplicity, the text has a gentle rhyme scheme and pleasing sense of rhythm that reward the work of decoding. Elio's cartoon-style illustrations are bright, cheerful, expressive, and clearly composed, creating a path for readers who may be struggling with early phonics skills to follow the story. Once Og finally releases the creature from the ice, a new friendship is formed, and readers get a setup for future adventures with this duo. Adrienne L. Pettinelli

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2024
Picture book author Dyckman (Wolfie the Bunny, rev. 3/15; How Dinosaurs Went Extinct, rev. 3/23) steps into the beginning reader market with this book for the earliest readers. Og is a turquoise monster with puffy hair, blunt horns, and one tooth -- not even a little frightening. The book uses simple words, short sentences, and a lot of repetition ("This is Og. Og is nice") to ease children just starting to sound out words into this story about the day some sort of creature appears stuck in a block of ice. Og is scared but also determined to get the creature out. Og tries bonking the ice with a log, and when that doesn't work, it's time for a new strategy: "Og can think and make a plan!" For its simplicity, the text has a gentle rhyme scheme and pleasing sense of rhythm that reward the work of decoding. Elio's cartoon-style illustrations are bright, cheerful, expressive, and clearly composed, creating a path for readers who may be struggling with early phonics skills to follow the story. Once Og finally releases the creature from the ice, a new friendship is formed, and readers get a setup for future adventures with this duo.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)