The Ugly Five, written by Julia Donaldson, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Student Reviewer: Thu-Anh T.
Summary: “We’re the ugly five, we’re the ugly five.” After the introduction of some more well-known beasts of the savannah, the first of the ugly five steps in--a wildebeest who boasts about her ugly qualities, loving her position as the “ugliest.” Then, she stumbles into a hyena, who describes their own qualities one by one, taking pride in their position as ugliest. The two pair up, ambling along to meet the others, singing about their ugliness and collecting the other animals one by one--the vulture, then the warthog, and finally marabou stork--flaunting the same pride and combining forces. Still, they mention qualities that others may find painful or unlikeable. After collecting all five, the five beasts stumble into a surprise: infantile versions of the ugly five! “We’re your babies.” They appreciate their actions, showering the Ugly Five in love and compliments, turning their title around to “the Lovely Five.”

Straight Talk for Librarians: The book is a cheerful, endearing work on being happy with yourself, making a community, family, and love past appearances. The author writes in rhymes and repetition in order to create a flowing rhythm, which appeals to a reader. The formatting also develops a pattern to look forward to, keeping the book positive. The animals’ loudness and energy when talking about their ugly qualities also maintains the cheerful energy in the book. In addition, the illustrations paired with each section maintains mainly bright colors but keeping to the warmer, earthy tones. The animals also all smile when they unify, demonstrating the positivity in the community. It can be used as a funny, charming story of self-love and found family.