Shrek is a corporate, commercial success. The series is part of contemporary popular culture for children and families with four successful movies and two mini-episodes to date (Shrek 3-D and Shrek the Halls). The first Shrek won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2001. All of the Shrek movies feature fairy tale and literary characters with more characters introduced with each movie. Together they present an opportunity to use popular culture to remind children of or reintroduce traditional tales. An understanding of the traditional or original (or a tale close to that) enhances the appreciation of fractured versions, which is often what one finds in Shrek.

The best place to begin is with William Steig’s original book, Shrek. Those familiar with the book will know how very different it is from the movies -- yet both are successful. This contrast provides a fruitful jumping off point for discussion. It also shows how creative people can be and children will be encouraged to use their imaginationsl. Rather than purchasing movie tie-books and mediocre novelizations, librarians, teachers, parents and readers will discover some of the rich and astounding fairy tales and modern fractured fairy tales, of which there are plenty.

Cast of Characters

Who are all those fairy tale creatures who appear in Shrek? Explore the Who's Who to find out more about them. For each character there is a bibliography, which includes at least one book close to the original tale as well as altered or fractured versions. Please not that this is not a comprehensive bibliography: these are selected and recommended versions to share with children. Most books will be available in your library or local bookstore. Some versions are also available on the web.