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Wormell, Chris. The Big Ugly Monster and the Little Stone Rabbit; written
and illus. by Chris Wormell
Knopf, 2004 32p
Library ed. ISBN 0-375-92891-X $17.99
Trade ed. ISBN 0-375-82891-5 $15.95
4-7 yrs
There are a lot of picture books that try to tug at hearts and perhaps even
elicit a cathartic tear or two. Most such, however, find it hard to resist obvious
sentimentality or clichéd elements (pets arriving at the end of their
lives being a particularly popular device), and as for humor, you'll just have
to look elsewhere. Yet the stories that turn out to be most moving and memorable
reject the formulas and make their own way, and so it is with The Big Ugly
Monster and the Little Stone Rabbit.
If you think your life is tough, consider the big ugly monster, who is "so
ugly that all the animals and birds ran and flew away as soon as they saw him"
(in fact, his ugliness is such that "if he stepped into a pond for a swim,
it would instantly dry up, with a hiss of steam"). Big Ugly is, as a consequence,
understandably lonely, but even his attempts to create his own friends out of
stone are doomed by his fearsome physique (" . . . when he smiled, the
stone animals cracked and shattered and he was left with a pile of rubble").
Fortunately, he finds an exception in the stone rabbit, who becomes the monster's
silent and constant companion to the end of the monster's days.
This is at heart a remarkably poignant little tale, and tenderhearted kids will
likely grieve for the poor monster and consider that he deserves better than
his inanimate if staunch companion. Wormell lifts the story with an appealing
narrative voice that combines direct address with witty, age-appropriate, and
sometimes rueful humor (the monster's sculpting of animal heads isn't very good,
but "the back ends were better; that was the bit he usually saw as the
animals ran away") and clever self-awareness ("Of course, this is
only a picture, so you're not getting the whole effect. You're not getting the
ugliness at full strength"). The "he's so ugly" routine will
strike a chord of playground-savvy recognition, while the repetition of the
ugliness jokes and of the monster's eventual satisfaction ("He was happy
nonetheless") adds a satisfying oral lilt to the story. Audiences may not
automatically know what to make of the end, wherein the stony desolate ground
blooms into loveliness around the stone rabbit after the ogre's death. Cynics
will likely consider the landscaping boom to be a response to the ogre's absence,
while gentler souls will likely plump for a locale made beautiful by an unusual
friendship; either way, it'll make an interesting talking point as well as an
aesthetically agreeable resolution.
In a story this visual, it's the illustrations that are key, and Wormell has
departed from his familiar woodblock-print style to create an ugly watercolor
monster of gratifyingly repellent aspect. All bristling hairs, grooved skin,
and pointy nails, he's nonetheless a figure that elicits considerable empathy:
the drooping of those triangular ears conveys a truly pitiable sadness, his
gleeful gambols with-or sort of with-his rabbit pal look hugely enjoyable, and
his pinky-brown tones make him a most pettable monstrosity. Next to the ogre's
overactive visuals, the stone rabbit seems quietly serene rather than blankly
inanimate, and he's credible both as a construction and a longtime companion.
In its low-key homeliness, the story recalls near-fables of attachment such
as The Red Balloon. And while some listeners may wish for a more overt
transformation, à la The Velveteen Rabbit, of inanimate bunny
into flesh-and-blood friend, others will appreciate the tacit acknowledgment
of the comradeship even the apparently undemonstrative can provide. Strange,
touching, and strangely touching, this will engage viewers' considerable sympathy
as well as encouraging them to treasure their own friendships, of all kinds.
Deborah Stevenson, Editor
Cover illustration by Chris Wormell from The Big Ugly Monster and the Little
Stone Rabbit ©2004. Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
This page was last updated on September 1, 2004.