I don't think I'll be the only one to say this, but I love David Sedaris and had zero faith in his ability to write a really good picture book. And yet, this is a really good picture book. Funny, shocking, subversive without trying too hard. The late Ian Falconer is key in the success of this book, his illustrations are perfect and bring this weird little book to life, but David Sedaris can sure write a picture book. Adults will probably dislike this, but adults are wrong. This is a great, strange, weird little book.

Definitely Sedaris humor inside and out. I think this would make a great book gift for Sedaris fans who are parents.

This is a fun little picture book. The main character Ann Van Ogre who likes to make faces. When told her face is going to get stuck like that one day. And guess what that’s exactly what happens. She makes the cutest little girl face and it’s permanent and everyone thinks she’s hideous. How can Ann Van Ogre go one like that. Then comes the surprise ending.
The illustrations are fun and simple and perfect for this story.

David Sedaris’s new picture book, Pretty Ugly, a Toon book illustrated by Ian Falconer, was inspired by his sister’s ability to make her face into almost anything weird or gross. She writes in an intro that it is a gift that seems to keep on giving, for her as a comedian/actress. My mom used to say that if we frowned or made faces at each other, my sis Nance and I might have our faces frozen like that, and wouldn’t that be terrible?

Not in the house of Anna Van Ogre, who makes an adorable little girl face, and it won’t go back to her own ugly face! The family is horrified, abhorring cuteness. And ugly faces would not be terrible in the Sedaris house, I might add. Ogres are the perfect antidote to cuteness.

Reminds me of Katherine Dunn’s Geek Love, where circus “freaks” are valued for their freakishness.

Very funny picture book for goofy face-making kids and also for fans of the Sedaris family.

But this can't be over without acknowledging the passing in March 2023 of Olivia book author and set designer and illustrator extraordinaire Ian Falconer, may he rest in peace.

Thanks to Net Galley, Penguin Random House, and the authors for the early look at this February 2024 release.

I will read anything that David Sedaris writes. This includes picture books and this does not disappoint. It has his biting wit and humor. When an ogre keeps making sweet faces and it gets stuck whatever is a young ogre to do! Loved it. Hilarious. Chef's Kiss.

Adorably hideous. Darkly funny.
Perfect.

Kids are going to love this one!

It has a healthy message at its core: be yourself. And don't be afraid to change!

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC.

The story is very, very short. I expected it to be longer. Even so, it manages to execute a funny little tale. It takes the known idea of prettiness and flips it on its head. The artwork is wonderful. I loved the ugly family.
The imagery is a bit freaky at the end, but I imagine kids would just love it.

I received an electronic ARC from TOON Books through NetGalley.
Humorous reversal of the old saying "Your face will freeze like that."
Anna is an ogre who delights in being good and doing all sorts of fun ogre activities. But, sometimes she also liked to be bad and do nice things. Her grandmother warned her that her face could get stuck in a smile if she kept doing that. Sure enough, the disaster happened and she was left with a beautiful smiling face. Her family tried to comfort her when others teased her but she was heartbroken. By thinking about what they said, she came up with her own solution and returned to her more ugly state again. Readers will love the humor and grossness of her solution.

This was adorable, but the ending scared the beejesus out of me. I was not expecting the ending in any way, shape, or form, but I loved it and laughed out loud. This was a quick, fun read that helps us realize that even the things we think are ugly about ourselves are beautiful, even on the inside.

What can the brilliant essayist David Sedaris bring to the children’s picture book genre? Nowt much it turns out. A little girl ogre makes faces - until one day her face gets stuck like that.

Hmm.

Yeah… it’s underwhelming stuff, but maybe that’s because I thought Sedaris would have had a cleverer story to offer up rather than some well-known old wives’ tale rehashed with ogres. Apparently it’s inspired by his actor sister, Amy Sedaris, who has a penchant for making silly faces.

Ian Falconer, who illustrated one of Sedaris’ previous books, Squirrel Meets Chipmunk, reunites with Sedaris to draw this one and his pictures are… fine. They’re nothing that special, much like the story.

Death weirdly looms over this children’s book. Sedaris dedicates it to his sister Tiffany, who killed herself a few years ago, and Falconer himself died after completing this book.

Not that I read enough children’s picture books to know - I read this one purely because I’m a David Sedaris fan and was curious to see his latest project - but I feel like even by the standards of the genre, Pretty Ugly is pretty crappy.

Absolutely charmed by the cover illustration of David Sedaris' and Ian Falconer's Pretty Ugly.
The storyline was simple with the adorable Anna Van Ogre as the lead. This book walks the line of cute and quirky but also surprisingly serves up a dollop of visual grotesqueness. I wasn't quite clear on what age group this picture book was aiming for. Its simplicity feels like it reads for 5-8 year olds yet it may scare the pants off more sensitive readers on the younger end of the spectrum. That being said, I think older children will find it hilariously gross and excitingly creepy. Structurally, for me, it felt a few pages short for a picture book. I felt maybe it was lacking more stakes and emotional swell for Anna and her family. Reading the book both silently and then out loud, I found some of the wording to not flow easily. After reading a few times, I did find that I couldn't stop thinking about Anna! I think for the right audience, it will be a beloved change of pace.


I received a complimentary e-ARC of #PrettyUgly from #NetGalley, Astra Publishing House, and TOON Books. Thank you kindly to all involved.

I usually adore Mr. Sedaris but this missed the mark for me. A little ogre makes a funny face and boom, she turns into a little girl who is positively adorable...or super ugly in ogre world. It's a simple story but I hated the ending. There isn't a lesson or moral, it just is. And I guess that's ok but it left me feeling weird....in a weird way.

I appreciated how this story for children kind of displayed the idea of beauty as a construct, fabricated by the society/environment/etc. one grows in. This really can help parents and caregivers have real conversations with children about this topic and encourage them to be authentic to themselves, to find beauty for the self. In all, I think it was a humorous story that can perpetuate a larger discourse on beauty and aesthetics. Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this e-ARC!

Cute, with that trademark David Sedaris dry-silliness. My kids really enjoyed this one, asking me to read it again and again. The final images especially got them giggling every time.

Thank you NetGalley! I really loved this book. I am an adult who loves picture books, and I think that the story and the pictures would probably amuse most adults and children with a sense of humor.
Anna Van Ogre loves misbehaving, but she gets more than she bargained for when she makes a terrible face and it freezes that way! Now she looks like a lovely human girl, and she doesn't know what to do.
This little adventure is beautifully illustrated and has great lessons about how we look at our problems.

OK, this children’s book was both amusing, funny and scary, I really recommend this book for this scary season, for kids from 7 to 10 years old, and even more if they like to make scary faces hahah. Personally my kids loved to listen to this story, and the drawings are also very well done.

Its a very short book, and I think even if the kids don’t like to read very much, but if they like scary stories, they will enjoy this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Astra Publishing House, TOON Books, for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

Who knew a children's book could be both horrifying and charming? I loved the message of PRETTY UGLY and that it was inspired by the ugly faces his sister Amy makes. In a world where the uglier and scarier someone is, the better, Sedaris takes "inner beauty" to a whole new level and gives "it's what's in the inside that counts" a whole new meaning.

I am a huge David Sedaris fan and will read anything and everything he writes.

Thank you to Astra Publishing House/TOON Books and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced ecopy of Pretty Ugly.

David Sedaris, but for kids! This was funny, cute, and concise, It will be a great addition to any picture book collection.

It was sweet and very much in the "Sedaris" voice. It wasn't amazingly clear what was going on for younger kids though. My two little niece's needed me to explain what it was about in the end and then wanted me to read it to them again. So we all enjoyed it and really liked the artwork.

This short, fun, charming picture book is beautifully drawn.

The funny story puts a smile and laugh on face and heart. I love how the story starts, turns and resolves!

Beauty, as our tale so wonderfully shows, is on the inside!

Thanks to NetGalley, the Publisher, and author for allowing me to read an ARC for an honest review.