The Yoga Ogre

Peter Bently (text) & Simon Rickerty (illustrations)
(Simon & Schuster Children’s Books)

Ogden the greedy Ogre is getting a little bit concerned about his expanding waistline.On the suggestion of some helpful people, Ogden decides to take up sport. But finding the right sport for a big, clumsy ogre isn’t quite as simple as it may sound. Ogden tries basketball, football, hockey, and even fancies his chance as a jockey, all with disastrous, albeit hilarious, consequences. Will yoga be a perfect match for enthusiastic Ogden?

Written in Peter Bently’s trademark rhyming text and with wonderfully bright and bold artwork by Simon Rickerty, The Yoga Ogre is a great story bursting with energy.

The story subtly promotes healthy eating and taking regular exercise and offers quite an eclectic selection of potential ways to exercise. But what I appreciated most of all is that the book shows that it is actually ok not to be good at some sports; Ogden is obviously not a “natural” and struggles to find the right sport for him. And when he does eventually find one that suits him, the message given is not that it is because he is good at it, but rather that he enjoys it.

Little people can feel pressurised to do the sports that their peers are doing (football, rugby, ballet!) and reading about Ogden trying out different parents might spark their interest in trying other things.