Otis [Hardcover]

Janie Bynum (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2000 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Otis is a little pig with a big problem. He doesn't like mud. His mama and papa are convinced he will someday love the stuff, but Otis isn't so sure. And in the meantime, he's lonely. It's not easy being the only pig in the county who hates getting dirty. Will Otis ever find a friend? • From a winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Children's Picture Book • Children's Book-of-the-Month Club Selection • In the spirit of "Ferdinand the Bull," introduces an endearing character who does not like the very thing he's supposed to love • Junior Library Guild Selection

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Have you ever felt like the only neat pig in a messy pig family? Meet Otis--he's the one who keeps score on the sidelines or counts buttercups while his brothers and sisters romp in the swamps. Staying pig-pink and mud-free isn't easy, however--particularly since it keeps him from playing mud games with his peers. One day, Otis's sterile stance is challenged when he encounters a frog, crying softly because he lost his favorite ball in a mud puddle. Is it possible that the swamp-dwelling amphibian despises mud as much as Otis? In an impressive display of cross-species teamwork, they manage to rescue the ball without getting dirty--and instantly become best, mud-free friends. Janie Bynum's fun, cartoonish illustrations (also seen in the buoyant Altoona Baboona) add life and humor to this "birds of feather flock together" tale with a happy ending. Kids will be comforted to know that they're bound to find someone, sometime, who understands. (Preschool to age 6) --Karin Snelson

From Publishers Weekly

Since most piglet play takes place in the mud, what is a young pig who detests dirt to do? Otis, Bynum's (Altoona Baboona) hero, remains resolutely pristine--and lonely, until at last he meets a similarly independent thinker, a frog who shares his disdain for mud and "all things swampy." The plot is a familiar one, but the exacting, childlike tone hits the mark ("Otis hauled the weeds away, careful not to get a spot of mud on his pink, pink self"), and the watercolor cartoons are uniformly expressive. Otis stands bemused and apart from the rest of his family in their chaotic living room (amid the stack of books on the floor is one titled "This Old Sty"); he sadly watches from the grass as his sisters play tag "in the wallow"; he looks abjectly miserable when he imagines himself muddied. And when Otis finds himself a friend, his evident pleasure is endearing. Ages 3-7. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 36 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152021531
• ISBN-13: 978-0152021535
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,080,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What an adorable pig!, March 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Otis (Hardcover)

Poor Otis has the same problem many children have...fitting in. While the rest of the pigs cavort in the mud, Otis prefers to stay nice and clean...which doesn't win him many friends. Until he meets Little Frog, who is the perfect friend for Otis. Not only did I find this an enchanting tale, but Bynum's rich watercolors and attention to detail (a copy of This Old Sty is among the clutter in the pig's livingroom)grabs every child's imagination and heart. And Otis is a character that you will naturally fall in love with. He's so adorable! Great for the preschool set.

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Like Other Pigs --- And That's a Good Thing, January 12, 2007

By 

George Buttner "Agent0042" (Dayton, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Otis (Hardcover)

Otis is a pig unlike other pigs. He doesn't like mud. He avoids muddy play, does his best to remain spotless. As seen on the cover, he even takes baths. but has a lot of trouble making friends. He's just not like them. What can Otis do?

One day, Otis discovers somebody new, somebody who isn't a pig at all. This individual doesn't like mud either, but he does have a muddy problem. Otis helps him out and discovers a new friend in the process!


Those of us who find ourselves different from others in one or more ways can identify with Otis. He gives us hope that we can find others to relate to. The illustrations are soft and charming. The text seems like it would work well for read-aloud, or for young readers with a bit more advanced reading knowledge.