The Ogre Bully

This whimsically drawn story is based on an old Swedish folktale, in which a farmer and his wife match wits with a large, mean-spirited ogre.

The Ogre Bully is a Swedish folktale that is told by A.B. Hoffmire about a greedy ogre that appears at a young farmer's fields. The Ogre claims the young farmer's fields and steals his crops, leaving the young farmer nothing to eat or sell. Facing the possibility of a complete financial collapse, the farmer and his wife come up with an ingenious plan to fool the Ogre and regain their fields and crops. In the end, through perseverance, they are able to outwit the Ogre and avoid a disaster.

This ogre story is a great opportunity to teach children about the consequences of bullying. In the case of encountering an ogre bully, kids will learn to practice courage and resourcefulness.

Author Note: "I always enjoy a good story, and 'The Gullible Troll' is a very good story (from the excellent book, Swedish Folktales and Legends). My version of the story, 'The Ogre Bull' loosely adapts the original to a children's book format, and I added my own illustrations.