Otis and the Puppy: board book - Hardcover

Long, Loren

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399171967 ISBN 13: 9780399171963

Publisher: Philomel Books, 2014

Synopsis

The much-loved New York Times bestseller is now available for the youngest reader!

Otis and his farm friends love to play hide-and-seek, but when the newest addition to the farm—a bounding puppy who can't sit still and has a habit of licking faces—tries to hide one day, he finds his attention wandering along with his legs, and soon he is lost in the forest. Night falls and Otis knows his new friend, who is afraid of the dark, must be terrified all alone in the woods. So Otis, the friend you can always count on, sets out to find the frightened pup.

Praise for Otis and the Puppy:
           
“[T]his earnest tractor's courage in the darkest hours makes him as reliable as Lassie or the Little Engine That Could.” —Publisher’s Weekly
 
“Otis will win readers' hearts.” —School Library Journal
 
“Seek this out—‘game on!’” —Kirkus Reviews

About this title

About the Author

Loren Long has putt puff puttedy chuffed his way all over the bestseller lists with such titles as Otis, Otis and the Tornado, Otis and the Puppy, An Otis Christmas, Drummer Boy, Toy Boat by Randall de Sève, and Mr. Peabody’s Apples by Madonna. He’s also had the opportunity to modernize the classic The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper and had the distinct honor of illustrating Of Thee I Sing by President Barack Obama. A graduate of the American Academy of Art in Chicago, Loren lives in Ohio with his wife, Tracy, and their two sons. You can visit Loren Long at www.OtisTheTractor.com and www.LorenLong.com. Follow @lorenlong

Review

Lovable Otis the tractor is back for a third adventure, in which he overcomes his fear to help out a new canine friend. Otis and his animal buddies, including the calf and bull from previous titles, play hide-and-seek after working on the farm. With a "one-putt, two-puff, three-puttedy four-chuff," Otis begins his turn as "it," which he especially likes. One day, the farmer brings an adorable young pup to the farm, and he immediately wins the hearts of all with his wriggling and wagging and an abundance of wet kisses. But after night falls, the puppy whimpers when he is left alone in his very dark doghouse outside the barn. Otis invites him inside to sleep next to him, and a special friendship forms. The story takes a turn when the puppy, instead of hiding as he is supposed to, gets distracted. In this spread, Long separates the text from what he depicts in the classic-feeling illustrations in gouache and pencil. While the language describes Otis discovering his friends in their silly hiding places--bull is "behind a lone dandelion"--a series of spot images shows the pup following a butterfly until he becomes hopelessly lost in the dark forest. Long contrasts the bright daytime farm scenes with the deepest darks of night to heighten the drama, for Otis must first cope with his own fear of the dark before rescuing his friend. Fans of Otis will not be disappointed with the satisfying ending that results in a creative solution and a most happy reunion. Seek this out--"game on!" -"-Kirkus Reviews"

"It is spring and there is a new puppy on the farm. After Otis rescues the whimpering pooch from the doghouse (and the dark), the two become fast friends. Painterly gouache and pencil illustrations have panoramic views, and stars and headlights shine through the dark of twilight and forest. And that is where the puppy gets lost one evening, after playing hide-and-seek. When the sun sets, and the search party gives up until dawn, Otis confronts his own fear of the dark and forges ahead . . . Older readers will delight in Long's use of idioms, and younger children will appreciate the loyalty of a true friend and understand the terror, not of darkness, but of aloneness. Otis will win readers' hearts."--School Library Journal"
**THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!**--New York Times

About this edition

• Publisher: Philomel Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0399171967
• ISBN 13: 9780399171963
• Binding: Board book
• Number of pages: 38
• Illustrator: Long Loren