Pretty Ugly

Amazon Best Children's Book of the Year winner for ages 6 to 8
Most Anticipated Books of 2024 List, Kirkus Reviews
Most Anticipated Kids Books List - February, Barnes & Noble
Kids Indie Next Pick March/April 2024
2025 Capitol Choices

A hilariously quirky monster tale about appreciating beauty--in all its weird and wonderful forms!-- by the creator of the iconic Olivia books and bestselling humorist David Sedaris.

★"Disgustingly hilarious....Adult readers will recognize hints of Maurice Sendak and William Steig and maybe even a smattering of Tim Burton in this remarkable outsider tale....Consider this little monstrosity a much-needed corrective to smarmy platitudes." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"[..] Demonstrates an appealing, Olivia-esque joie de vivre." --The New York Times

In this beautifully gross picture book, Anna Van Ogre's lovely monster face turns into that of a sickeningly adorable, rosy-cheeked little girl--and it's not switching back! Can she find a way to stop looking like an ugly human and regain her gorgeous monstrosity of a face?

In this incredible story about beauty standards, owning your uniquessness, and developing self-esteem, nationally acclaimed comedian and perpetual bestelling author David Sedaris and renowned creator of the Olivia picture boook series Ian Falconer come together to ponder the eternally relevant question: is true beauty really on the inside?

Sedaris and Falconer make a spectacular splash with this tale of a monster turned ugly--stuck with a human face!

Author: David Sedaris
Publisher: Toon Books
Published: 02/27/2024
Pages: 32
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.01lbs
Size: 11.10h x 8.43w x 0.47d
ISBN: 9781662665271
Audience: Ages 4-8

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 1.9
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 550919 / Pretty Ugly


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 10/23/2023
Booklist 12/01/2023 pg. 131
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/2024
School Library Journal 03/01/2024 pg. 74

About the Author
David Sedaris is the author of Barrel Fever and Holidays on Ice, as well as collections of personal essays such as Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames. Sedaris's pieces appear regularly in the New Yorker and have twice been included in The Best American Essays. There are more than ten million copies of his books in print, and they have been translated into 25 languages. www.davidsedarisbooks.com

Ian Falconer was an author and illustrator of children's books, a designer of sets and costumes for the theater and creator of 30 covers for the New Yorker as well as other publications. The fine artist and designer was best known for his witty and bestselling picture books about the precocious piglet Olivia, a children's book series with over 10 million sales worldwide.