Otis and Rae and the Grumbling Splunk [Hardcover]

Laura Espinosa (Author), Leo Espinosa (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

On a perfectly perfect summer day, best friends Otis and Rae decide to go camping—for the first time ever! Otis is content to set up his tent right away and spend the night eating PB&B (peanut butter and banana) sandwiches. But Rae wants to tell stories, scary stories, stories about GRUMBLING SPLUNKS! No need for Otis to worry. There’s no such thing as a grumbling splunk! Is there?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3—Otis and Rae are headed into the woods for their first camping trip. Rae is enormously excited, and she can't wait to experience "NATURE." Otis is a bit hesitant and just wants to eat his sandwiches, skip the scary campfire stories, and go to bed in their tent. But it's Rae who falls asleep right away, leaving Otis thinking wild thoughts about the strange noises he hears. When he leaves the tent in search of his flashlight, he encounters a large, scary beast that grumbles loudly, and they run from one another. Otis returns to the tent to "rescue Rae" from the mysterious creature, but she can't believe her good luck—to be able to see a Grumbling Splunk—so the kids go in search of it. The text, much of which is in balloons, is hand lettered, generally easy to read, and shifts from all lowercase to all uppercase letters. The mixed-media illustrations in eye-popping colors move the story along quickly. Otis and Rae have tiny bodies and large marshmallow heads, while the splunk looks like an overstuffed orange bear. Most pages are broken up into two to four panels. This story is best shared one-on-one or in a small group setting.—Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MN
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About the Author

Laura Jaffe Espinosa grew up in Newton, Massachusetts, and moved to New York to work in advertising and design. She met Leo at a graphic design seminar and they married a few years later. Leo Espinosa was born in Bogota, Colombia. He studied graphic design and worked as an art director by day and moonlighted as a comic book artist. Later he moved to New York and began working as an illustrator. After living in New York City and Barcelona, the Espinosas moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where they opened their own design studio. "Otis and Rae and the Grumbling Splunk" is their first children's book. Visit them at www.studioespinosa.com.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; None edition (May 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 061898206X
• ISBN-13: 978-0618982066
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,115,772 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My kids are addicted!, September 18, 2008

By 

L. Ross (Morton Grove, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Otis and Rae and the Grumbling Splunk (Hardcover)

We checked this out from the library. I actually chose it for the illustrating style, and the 'comic strip' style of telling the story. My 5 year old loves comics.
My 3 year old looked at it in the car the whole way home, and proceded to ask me to read it numerous times. My 5 year old (who can read) has read it over and over. They both crack up at the last page of the book.
My 5 year old asked if Rae & Otis are from a show. I don't know, but if their reaction is any indication..maybe it should be!
It's obviously addicting, and a very cute read.