Shrek! is a picture book written and illustrated in 1990 by William Steig

William Steig

William Steig was a prolific American cartoonist, sculptor and, later in life, an author of popular children's literature...

 about a young ogre

Ogre

An ogre is a large, cruel, monstrous, and hideous humanoid monster, featured in mythology, folklore, and fiction. Ogres are often depicted in fairy tales and folklore as feeding on human beings, and have appeared in many classic works of literature...

 who finds the ogre of his dreams when he leaves home to see the world. The name "Shrek" is derived from the German

German language

German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

 and Yiddish

Yiddish language

Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...

 word שרעק "Schreck"/"Shreck", literally meaning "fear, terror." The book served as the basis for the popular Shrek film series over a decade after its publication.

Awards

• Publishers Weekly
  Publishers Weekly
  Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
  
   Best Children's Books of the Year
• School Library Journal
  School Library Journal
  The School Library Journal is a monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with a focus on technology and multimedia. Reviews are included for preschool to 4th grade,...
  
  Best Books of the Year