King Hugo's Huge Ego [Hardcover]

Chris Van Dusen (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 26, 2011 | Age Range: 3 - 7 years | Lexile Measure: 920L (What's this?)

From a master of visual comedy comes the royally satisfying tale of a head swollen out of proportion and a blowhard brought down to earth.

Hugo is a tiny king with a very large ego. But when he mistreats a villager who also happens to be a sorceress, the spell she casts causes his head to literally swell. The more he boasts, the bigger it gets, until it finally topples the mini monarch right off his castle! Who will cut this royal pain down to size? And, more important, will anyone live happily ever after? Chris Van Dusen’s hilarious story is matched only by his outrageous illustrations. Together, they make for a picture book that is sometimes fairy tale, sometimes cautionary tale, and always laugh-out loud funny.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Readers are treated to a terrific mélange of satire, slapstick, and caricature, all served up with expert comic timing. Van Dusen (The Circus Ship) may be puncturing the myth of infallible monarchy, but readers will have no trouble pledging obeisance to his comic majesty. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About the Author

Chris Van Dusen is the author-illustrator of THE CIRCUS SHIP and the illustrator of the best-selling MERCY WATSON books by Kate DiCamillo. About KING HUGO'S HUGE EGO, he says, "Arrogance is a trait I’ve always deplored, and yet I have to admit that sometimes my own ego can become a bit inflated. Luckily I have a wonderful wife who acts as a Tessa to my occasional Hugo." Chris Van Dusen lives in Maine with his family.

Product Details

• Age Range: 3 - 7 years
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (July 26, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780763650049
• ISBN-13: 978-0763650049
• ASIN: 0763650048
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 0.4 x 11.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #68 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Royalty

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Chris Van Dusen has done it again August 28, 2011

By Lisa Carey

Format:Hardcover

Chris Van Dusen is our five-year-old son's favorite author. The new book had him in fits of laughter, and he particularly loved the animals looking on as the king blundered along. The illustrations are, just as in The Circus Ship, gorgeous and full of interesting detail. The rhyming verse is very catchy and my son has already memorized it to read along. We highly recommend all Van Dusen's books!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars King, Bowled Over, Learns Lesson August 10, 2011

By David P. Whelan

Format:Hardcover

The book's title is a good indicator of the fun your children will have reading this story by Chris van Dusen. His illustrations are bright and attractive alongside a clever rhyming text. Van Dusen explains ego and then uses King Hugo as an example. Our 5 year old took to the story right away, enjoying King Hugo's swelling head and his resulting downfall. The illustrations van Dusen uses to accompany the story almost tell the tale itself, making it a good book for young picture-only readers as well as those who are just beginning to read and build their vocabulary. Look for the strange gentleman in the 50's-ish pork pie hat in the crowd!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny! December 20, 2011

By Debnance at Readerbuzz

Format:Hardcover

Hugo was a very short king with a big ego. He made his people listen to him talk about how wonderful he was for hours. He made his people bow to him each time he walked past. A peasant girl, Tess, was walking down the road with a heavy load. Hugo was behind her and his servants ordered her to move off the road. Tess told the king to go around her. This infuriated the king and the servants bumped Tess into the gutter.

Tess, it turns out, is a witch, She was so angry with the king that she put a spell on him, making his head grow every time he thought about how wonderful he was. His head grew and grew and grew, until he floated off the castle walls and fell into the mud. Who should come along but Tess?!

She tweaked his ears and out of his head came all the haughty things Hugo had thought about himself for so many years until his head returned to normal size and he felt embarrassed at himself and apologized. Tess and Hugo, of course, fell in love and married.

Fabulously expressive illustrations. Rhyming text. And absolutely, side-splittingly hilarious.

"King Hugo's head deflated
like a giant pink balloon,
and when he heard what he had said,
he felt like a buffoon.

Sheepishly he said to her,
`I do apologize.'
Then he looked at Texxa
with his big, sad puppy eyes."
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5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully humorous read & amazing illustrations March 21, 2013

By ctwomtwo

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

For over 2 months straight this was the "go to" bedtime book for my 4 year old daughter. We laugh out loud reading it and she knows most of the words and has picked up the stylized intonation I add in my reading of it. Such fun! We love this author/illustrator!

4.0 out of 5 stars Ego a hard concept March 11, 2013

By S. Bakkila

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Explaining ego is a hard concept for kids who are very psychologically programmed to be self-centered, so the story has required some explaining. That's not against the story or the book at all, but ego isn't actually something physical a kid can touch (it has symptoms that are visible in behavior and things). However, VanDusen did a great job, and our 7 year old recently read The Emperor's New Clothes folk story at school and made the connection of egotistical/vain behavior.

5.0 out of 5 stars Kids love it. January 24, 2013

By P. Cyr

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Once again Chris Van Dusen has created a witty story with incredible illustrations. Fun to read as an adult, too. We met him at a book signing and he spent a ton of time with my kids (ages 4 and 7) talking about his work, asking my kids about their work (my 7 year old brought samples of his work to show Chris! and answering questions even though a few people were lined up. And he signed our whole collection. Great guy, seems to really know his audience. We now have all of his books and there isn't a bad one in the lot. Our fav is probably Learning to Ski with Mr McGee or Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee though its a tough call.

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful use of language and great illustrations July 26, 2012

By Books for Children

Format:Hardcover

Delightful book about a diminutive king who is cursed in a visually funny way. Wonderful illustrations and masterful rhyming language.

As reviewed on my site Books for Children ([...]

5.0 out of 5 stars Our 2-Year Old Knows Chris Van Dusen by Name! May 1, 2012

By Lindsay

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Chris Van Dusen is one of 2-year old daughter's favorite authors. Not only is he a great story teller, but an amazing illustrator as well - melodic and colorful. All of his books will captivate young minds and even provide some entertainment for the parents as well. Our nightly lineup consists of both King Hugo and Circus Ship!