Rating: 
Summary: Very cute but of COURSE it's not the movie
Review: For Pete's sake, doesn't anyone read books anymore?? NO, it's not the movie. It's a book. This book is loosely related to the movie, but it is not the movie, it is completely different. And if first graders can't figure out that there are books that don't reflect movies word for word then I despair for our educational system.
My five year old asked to see the movie and I required that he let me read him the book first. He thought the book was hysterical (it was THE bedtime book for a week), he thought the movie was great, and he was completely clear on the point that they were done separately. Same with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (great book, great movie, barely related plots and characters), same with Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, same with a lot of great books and the movies that Disney (et al) makes of them.
Steig in general does a good job with the picture book format plus a more challenging vocabulary. I really enjoy reading his books -- they're not dumbed down, and they really use the language to its best effect. It means that there are probably not a ton of kids who can read them themselves at the age they're most likely to appreciate them, but that's what makes for great readalouds. Poetic, well-written, and silly, all together. Doctor De Soto is another favorite, as well as Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. They're all excellent books, with or without multi-million dollar movies made after them.
Rating: 
Summary: The original ogre
Review: For some reason, when a book is made into a popular movie the public decides to pit the movie against the book on which it was based. The question on everyone's lips is, "Was the movie better than the book? Is the book better than the movie?" Not that it really matters. After all, books and movies are as different as different can be. When full length feature films are created out of picture books, they usually bear very little resemblance to the texts on which they were based. Now, for my part I'm one of the five people living in America today who did not like the movie "Shrek". And this isn't because I loved the book. Honestly, until today I had never even read the thing. But I didn't like the movie's tone, it's writing, it's moral, or much in the way of its characters. To me, it was a film that should have been produced by Pixar, wasn't, and suffered for it. Then I decided, out of some sort of self-flagellation, to read the original picture book on which the movie was based. The picture book, I found, is awesome. So if a person were to foolishly pit movie against book, I guess I'd have to fall squarely into the book camp. It's a great anti-fairy tale tale.
As you may already know, Shrek is an awful ogre that lives with his mom and pop in a horrible swamp. One day his parents kick him out of the horrible place so that he can make his way in the world. After meeting with a nasty witch in a lovely hat, Shrek is told a fortune predicts that he will meet a donkey, defeat a knight, and marry a princess. While proceeding on his terrible quest, Shrek encounters a variety of mad adventures. He defeats a dragon, finds the aforementioned (non-jive talking) donkey, defeats the knight, and meets the ugliest princess in the world. After the two sing a little song (including such delightful rhymes as, "Oh ghastly you/ With lips of blue/ Your ruddy eyes/ With carmine sties/ Enchant me") they find that they are made for one another and get "hitched" immediately. Note the bouquet of cactus the princess holds. Delightfully horrible.
This is one of Steig's later children's books, so it's no wonder I never heard of it until the movie came out. I think the blurb about this story I like best comes from Parenting Magazine who called this tale, "A mischievous, topsy-turvy chronicle of a nasty ogre's wonder years". Unlike the movie, this book does not interact with fairy tale characters and the princess at the end does not resemble Princess Fiona in the least when he meets her. Also, Shrek is nasty all the way through. Unrepentantly catastrophically nasty. You won't find an ogre with low self-esteem here. Instead, he just likes being awful. You wouldn't want him any other way. Kids reading this book (that haven't seen the film) will delight in a character that's just as downright terrible as he wants to be. It's a great story with a great title character. If you've kids that have tired of the normal fairy tale drivel and want something along the lines of "The Stinky Cheese Man" or "The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs", this is an excellent choice. For every kid, everywhere, at any time.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing indeed
Review: I agree that this book was disappointing. I tried reading it to a first grade class -- the vocab was way too high, and all they kept asking about was "where's donkey?" as if it was the Disney version. I doubt a 2nd grade class would be any different. No one thought the grossness was funny, and the illustrations -- while okay -- weren't overly special. Not a great read-aloud.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I bought this book based on the rave reviews and the fact that our local library did not have the book. The vocabulary and word usage were, in my opinion, too complicated for the target age group. The story was, however, too juvenile for my older children and it was not very interesting to me as an adult. The movie is loosely based on the story, however, the similarities stop after the initial idea that an ogre is the main character. Usually, I prefer the book to the movie that has been created in the image of the book, but that is not so in this case. Before buying this, I would suggest trying to get it through your local library loan program.
Rating:
Summary: BETTER THAN THE MOVIE!!!!
Review: I loved this book long before the dumb old movie came out and I knew I'd be sorely disappointed if they didn't get it right and turn the magic from the book onto the screen.... and while it was annoying that they made Shrek's 'ugly' wife so cute even in ogre form (I guess they were afraid to really make her ugly like in the book, the only thing I see about her when she turns ogre is she's heavier and being heavy doesn't make a person ugly) the whole moral behind Steig's story is "Accept yourself just the way you are" or something along the lines of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and the movie, while funny with great voice actors, really messes with that moral.... Princess Fiona is the thin archetype of today's societal idea of beauty while her 'ogre' form is a heavyset, still cute, yet inferred to as ugly form of herself.... not only that, but Shrek does not accept himself the way he is during the movie... the funniest part about the book is Shrek's complete confidence and love of his own 'flaws' (or what others see as flaws in him) the illustrations aren't primitive at all. They are charming and wonderful...and couldn't possibly be improved upon... If you want the movie go see it, if you want something better- read the book.... especially if you like a bad pun now and then. William Steig is a genious. I wish the movie hadn't been made because now this wonderful book will be compared to it - and it should never have had to be more charming than Mike Meyer's or Cameran Diaz or Eddie Murphy's jokes. It stands on it's own apart from the movie... Steig's book was really too cool for him to sell away the rights to the storyline and let them screw it up the way they did. In otherwords: read the book, love the book.... take your kid out to see the movie and laugh at the kind of entertainment you can see on comedy central anyday... but read the book out loud in a storyteller voice with wild gesticulations at bed time to your child and sing-song the crooney old witches voice... then kiss your child and put them to bed to dream of wilder things than the imagination can aspire to. This book was MADE to read out loud to children. William Steig is a children's literature demi-God. I love him, love him, LOVE HIM! *grin*
Rating:
Summary: Horrible Ogre, horrible book...
Review: My children and I both loved the movie, but the book is far from it. No real redeeming value you here. The story was dumb and gross. Shrek is an Ogre, so no real surprise I guess. W. Steig's book, "The Real Thief," on the other hand, was a gem.
Rating:
Summary: Horrible Ogre, horrible book...
Review: My children and I both loved the movie, but the book is far from it. No real redeeming value you here. The story was dumb and gross. Shrek is an Ogre, so no real surprise I guess. W. Steig's book, "The Real Thief," on the other hand, was a gem.
Rating:
Summary: The Original Shrek.
Review: No, this is not a book based off the blockbuster movie. In fact, this little story is where the idea for SHREK the movie came from. The story and illustrations are classic William Stieg, mixing a childlike fascination with a bizarre almost cynical, humorous look at the world. In this case, Steig takes on the fairy tale.Shrek is an ugly green ogre who can belch fire. However, one day his parents decide it's time to kick him out of the family hole in the swamp and see what mischief he can do in the world. He wanders through the woods and meets a witch who is repulsed by his stench and appearance, but agrees to tell him his future for one of his lice. She predicts that in a castle Shrek will find his true love, a princess, and live happily ever after. Along the way, Shrek runs into a talking donkey, a dragon, and an inept knight. He finally reaches the castle and meets a princess there who is more hideous than Shrek. They woo each other with monster poetry and are married at the end. The story is funny, but children who have seen the movie too many times may not find the book as amusing as they would have before. The original Shrek is a totally different kind of ogre than the one in the movie. The original Shrek is borish, hideous, and somewhat offensive. Nevertheless, this is a story that somewhat older children do enjoy and if nothing else it's worth reading to see where the idea for SHREK the movie started.
Rating:
Summary: HOW DARE. . .
Review: This is the little book that spawned a multi-million dollar empire of Shrek toys, a Shrek shoe, Shrek Gameboy games, and, of course, the two wildly successful movies. So, how good is the book that spawned all these money makers?
William Steig's Shrek is a malodorous, stink loving, ugly green monster-man: "'What a lovely stench!' Shrek cackled. The witch specialized in horrors, but one look at Shrek made her woozy." Shrek is not quite as loveable as in the movie; he delights in his ability to disgust: He dreams that adoring children are playing with him, and deems it a nightmare. Steig's humor is playfully insidious, and there are several clever poems:
"Your horny warts, your rosy wens,
Like slimy boogs and fusty fens,
thrill me."
The plot resembles the movie, but stripped down. There's a donkey (though he's not wildly verbal as in the movie), and a royal woman to rescue from a castle. However, the fights are all won either by his horrid personal traits or his ability to spit fire. After her rescue, and a vampire-like tryst ("Shrek snapped at her nose. She nipped at his ear. They clawed their way into each other's arms. Like fire and smoke, these two belonged together.") Shrek marries his soul mate: "And they lived horribly ever after, scaring the socks off all who who fell afoul of them."
The movie, with its million dollar voices, special effects, and expanded story line and satirical edge is better than the book, and I was never a huge fan of the movie. Please do not expect this short but original story to match the powerhouse film, or you will be disappointed. Additionally, Steig's strength is the humor and reversal of the usual fairy tale, the illustrations are only fair. Still, bigtime Shrek fans will want to take a look at the 1990 book that started an industry.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing like the movie but WONDERFUL!
Review: This was a family favorite for years before the film came out. Nothing against the film, which is a hoot, but the Shrek of William Steig's book is FAR lustier in his awfulness than the movie Shrek. He absolutely REVELS in his disgusting characteristics, and ends up meeting a princess who is the ugliest, most smelly, most horrific thing he's ever seen in his life. Naturally, he falls madly in love! They quote monster poetry to each other: Sadi Shrek, "Your horny warts, your rosy wens, like slimy bogs and fusty fens, thrill me." Said the princess, "Your lumpy nose, your pointy head, your wicked eyes, so livid red, just kill me." Was ever a romance so beautifully begun?!?? This is wonderful, wonderful stuff. Steig absolutely revels in making these two creatures as awful as possible, and young readers (and not so young!) will enjoy the fun that Steig clearly had writing and illustrating this classic book.
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