OG MEETS MOG!

Thinking turns out to be better than hitting.

Og, unthreatening scion of a family of cartoonish, Popsicle-colored, Play-Doh-y monsters, all horned, with projecting teeth but goofy grins, is out helpfully collecting firewood when he spots a large block of ice with a blue lump inside it. Only two eyes are visible, and when one blinks, Og yelps. After futilely bashing the ice with sticks for a while, Og decides to use his brain instead of brute force. Lacking tools, he karate-chops two trees to make rollers, finds rope, slides the block onto the logs, and pulls it home. The tiny fire in his yard melts the huge ice block, and quite surprisingly something orange and furry begins to emerge. Somehow, the ice was hiding an enormous marmalade cat (in British nursery slang, a “mog”). Og is nice, Mog is nice, and together, Og and Mog are “twice as nice.” Besides being big enough for Og to ride, as a bonus, helpful Mog chases off the mice that have been plaguing Og and his family. Rollicking rhymed verses, almost-monosyllabic vocabulary, and super-large type will attract beginning readers, who might also enjoy the wacky, harmless mini-monsters.

Very easy words, a small hero, and enough action to keep the pages turning.