You're never too old to be "ogre" having some fun.Izzie's amazement that older brother Ollie threw away most of his toys is quickly diverted upon meeting Tim, a lumbering, green-skinned ogre who has recently moved into the neighborhood-specifically, into a previously unnoticed cave in Izzie's backyard. Unperturbed by this sudden change in local real estate, Izzie brings Tim to meet Ollie, who has become so consumed with a new video game that he considers his toys babyish. Engrossed in the game, Ollie doesn't notice for several hours that Tim and Izzie took him up on his offer to take his old stuff and have stripped his room bare. Once he emerges, Ollie follows a piece of yarn through the house and into the yard to find that Izzie and Tim have, using Ollie's "baby" toys, built a video game–like world that requires Ollie's imagination to play. The game rekindles his love of imaginative play, and Ollie is more than willing to join Izzie and Tim on future adventures. The story is gorgeously captured in digital illustrations dominated by shades of green, but the message may resonate more with caregivers than with the intended audience. That said, young readers who enjoy a fast-paced tale or are fantasy fans will appreciate the story. Izzie and Ollie have brown skin and dark hair.It's D&D: delightful and dear. (Graphic early reader. 6-9)

K-Gr 4— This graphic novel for beginning readers offers a fun and visually compelling argument for resisting the siren song of screen time. While rustling through a pile of toys thrown out by her video-game obsessed brother, Ollie, Izzie finds herself face to face with an immense ogre named Tim, who has taken up residence in an unnoticed, possibly imaginary cave in her backyard. Izzie takes this opportunity to enlist his help in setting up a video game-like quest throughout her house, incorporating Ollie's cast-offs and casting Izzie as the big boss. Ebbeler's skill with detailed settings and unusual angles makes the siblings' home a perfect place for flights of fancy—packing new angles and undiscovered corners of their home into each image—and the book feels much denser than its brisk 40 pages. Izzie and Ollie are brown-skinned. VERDICT A fast-paced, creativity-sparking, richly illustrated adventure, this early reader graphic novel is an inspiring read.— Emilia Packard