Customer Reviews

Otis

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"There once was a friendly little tractor. His name was Otis, and every day Otis and his farmer worked together taking care of the farm they called home. Otis liked to work.

Recalling his own childhood love for some classic picture books, Loren Long pays homage to the work of Robert Lawson and Virginia Lee Burton in OTIS.

OTIS is the story of a boisterous and dependable little red tractor who (as was Mary Anne the steam shovel), is facing being replaced, and the young calf (visually reminiscent of the young Ferdinand) who comes to live at the farm and is comforted at night by the "soft putt puff puttedy chuff" that emanates from Otis's stall.

Young readers will readily recognize a whole series of positive emotions depicted on the face of Otis as he works, plays, sleeps, teaches the calf to do a "hand"stand, and sits contemplatively under the tree on the hill (total shades of Ferdinand) alongside his young friend. Then there are the equally-clear expressions of negative feelings that well up when the new-and-improved giant tractor suddenly invades Otis's farm.

Otis is unmercifully banished from his stall and consigned to a patch of weeds behind the barn. But when the calf accidentally gets herself stuck in Mud Pond (with an attendant cast of characters reminiscent of the crowd that observes Mary Anne digging the cellar for the new town hall), there is only one person...err...faithful friend and personified machine...who knows how to help the calf get herself unstuck.

As with the cover art, Loren Long's illustrations throughout the first part of OTIS are soothing, being dominated by gentle browns, creams, and the deep cherry red of the little tractor. In sharp contrast, the new tractor is a glaring and intrusive shade of yellow with sharp lines and a visage that gives off no hint of humanity inside.

Fortunately, the calf's rescue causes Otis to once again be recognized as being of value. He is assigned a series of satisfying tasks around the farm and, having thus regained a good measure of contentment through being productive, "at the end of the day, Otis would just sit with his friend under the apple tree and watch the farm below."

What makes OTIS extra-special is that on top of there being such a great interplay of text and illustration, on top of Loren Long's great use of figurative language and visual allusion, and on top of the important intergenerational theme, there is a high level of action and hijinx in the text and illustrations -- call it a "gross motor" book -- that will enthuse the most demanding members of any young audience.

I'm just hoping that they are considering printing up some Otis teeshirts for those of us who are totally in love with this crazy little tractor dude and his bovine sidekick.

"Otis" reminds me of a childhood favorite of mine. One of the first books I think I owned that I could read myself. That book was "Little Black a Pony" by Walter Farley (of "Black Stallion" fame). Farley's book told the story of a friendship between a boy and his pony. A close friendship that was interrupted when a big red horse came into the picture. The boy was intrigued by the bigger horse, but as it turns out old friendships are not to be easily forgotten, and Little Black saves the boys life when Big Red cannot because of his size.

In a sense, "Otis" is like this older book, and I couldn't help liking it for that reason, because Otis, the little red tractor, is supplanted by a Big Yellow tractor. That is, until he proves himself to loyal and true to his friends.

Talking Points:::

Comparisons aside, Loren Long has produced a charming book with fantastic artwork that is so sweet and funny that my children wanted to read it with me over and over again. As you can see from the cover Loren has done most of the drawings in a monochrome, which is spiced up with splashes of color. That effect simply adds to the charm.

"Otis" is sure to please most children: toddler thru 7 or 8 year old.

o Accelerated Reading -- generic "2"

Pam T~

mom and reviewer at BooksForKids-reviews

This book is beautifully written, illustrated, and published. The cadence of the story when read aloud is fluid and pleasant, and the illustrations greatly enhance the experience. I would highly recommend this selection for parents or teachers of early elementary-aged children searching for a positive story of true, lasting friendship.

Otis was a wide-eyed happy little tractor who loved to help the farmer work the land. After a day of work he was ready to let loose and let his playful side take over. He buzzed up and down hillsides and skirted "Mud Pond down by the corn" rousting the ducks from in between the rows. He jumped over the haystacks and whooops . . . burst through some of them blasting the hay all over the field. Otis would sometimes "chase a rabbit or play ring-around-the-rosy with the ducks." Sometimes it was just nice to nestle up underneath the gnarly old branches of the apple tree and watch the goings on of the farm.

At night he would putt putt putt himself into the barn and fall fast asleep in his stall. One night there was a bit of unexpected company. It was a frightened little calf who was determined to bawl the night away. Otis's "soft putt puff puttedy chuff" slowly calmed the calf and she "drifted off to sleep." Zzzzzz! Soon they were fast friends and you didn't see one without the other until one day Otis himself was put out to pasture when he was replaced with a newfangled yellow tractor. They were both lonesome without the other because a yellow tractor split them apart. On one warm day the little calf ambled on down to the Mud Pond to cool off, but when she "waded into the muddy water," she got mired in the muck. No one, including the fire truck nor the yellow tractor could save her. What would become of Otis's best friend?

I loved the story of Otis and the little calf, a story of an unlikely friendship if there ever once was, except perhaps that one of Bella and Tarra. We all have unlikely friendships or things that we value and children can easily relate to this fact. Some things are tangible like the attachment to a toy, but extra special are the friendships they make. The old-fashioned looking artwork is marvelous and contributes a great deal to the appeal of the story. Otis is one story that is almost guaranteed to become a classic. Just get used to the fact that you'll be reading this one to your youngster over and over again!

Loren Long's OTIS tells of a tractor that loves his farm and farmer and becomes friends with a calf in the next stall. When a big yellow tractor comes to the farm to replace Otis, he begins to rust away until his calf friend needs help only Otis can provide. A fine story evolves.

Great book! I would highly recommend it. Very well illustrated and easy for my 4-yr old to follow. This is my son's new favorite book.

We came across this book by accident while looking for a plush, red tractor to give to our nephew for his first birthday. The story and pictures in this book are adorable.

This has become one of the books my 22 month old wants us to read every night. Sweet story, amazing illustrations in simple colors, and catchy lines "putt puff"! My son loves tractors and farms so this story makes him a very happy little guy at bedtime. He's gotten so used to the story, he picks up the book and flips the pages picking up details he is familiar with, and essentially reads to himself.

Gave this book as a gift to a non-English speaking boy. It was easy to translate it to his native language. He loves it.

This is a heartfelt book about a tractor with personality! You can tell that Mr. Long took great care in creating just the right image for Otis and the baby calf. My 3 year old daughter absolutely loves the book and asks for it to be read almost every night. I highly recommend it.