"Light-hearted and rambunctious [this] is a fairytale with a difference" - Guardian Best Children's Books of 2023

The fresh and funny story of a little princess who hates the stuffy palace, but loves the creatures she meets in the garden. A classic fairytale with a twist, celebrating animals and adventure, from the award-winning duo Sir Michael Morpurgo and Emily Gravett.

Clara is a small, strong-willed princess who likes running wild, jumping ditches and climbing trees . . . but most of all, she loves collecting creepy-crawlies and making them her friends. That's not easy with a bossy butler and a pernickety nanny always on your case.

When Clara discovers that an ogre she keeps in her shoe under her bed isn't an ogre at all, he offers her a way out of her predicament. There's only one thing she needs to do . . .

The Ogre Who Wasn't is a lesson in kindness and a celebration of the natural world written by Sir Michael Morpurgo, the Children's Laureate 2003-4, and illustrated by the award-winning Emily Gravett: the marvellous partnership who also created the bestselling picture book, A Song of Gladness.

A classic fairytale with a modern twist, celebrating kindness and the natural world, from a bestselling, award-winning duo

About the Author

Michael Morpurgo is one of the most successful children's authors in Britain, loved by children, teachers and parents alike. Former Children's Laureate, he has written more than forty books for children, including the global hit War Horse, which was made into a Hollywood film by Steven Spielberg in 2011 and the much loved Private Peaceful. He has won many prizes including the Whitbread Award, the Smarties Award, the Circle of Gold Award, the Children's Book Award and has been short-listed for the Carnegie Medal four times. He received an OBE in December 2006 for his services to literature.

Emily Gravett has a rare talent for creating exceptional books for children. The winner of two CILIP Kate Greenaway Medals, her skill and wit are second to none. Emily first sprang into the limelight with the ground-breaking Wolves, which has been followed by such modern classics as Meerkat Mail, Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears, Monkey and Me and Again! and the fabulous Bear and Hare series for younger readers, as well as the beautiful Tidy,Cyril and Pat and Too Much Stuff. Each book is unique and different from the last - and each features endearing, beautifully drawn characters that touch the heart and tickle the funny bone. Emily divides her time between Brighton and Wales.

Book Information
ISBN 9781035010264
Author Michael Morpurgo
Format Hardback
Page Count 32
Imprint Pan Books
Publisher Pan Macmillan
Weight(grams) 477g
Dimensions(mm) 308mm * 245mm * 12mm