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Otto Grows Down Hardcover – Bargain Price, February 3, 2009

by Michael Sussman (Author), Scott Magoon (Illustrator)

4.9 15 ratings

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What would it be like if time went backwards? One unlucky little boy is about to find out!

Otto has just one birthday wish: that his new baby sister Anna had never been born. And it comes true when the days suddenly start moving in reverse. But now, instead of growing up, Otto’s growing DOWN. He’s getting younger every minute and in danger of disappearing entirely. Can he turn things around before it’s too latefor Anna and himself?

Brilliant illustrations by the fabulous Scott Magoon capture all the fun of this whimsical tale.

From Booklist

Otto is not happy about the arrival of his baby sister. At his sixth birthday party, he blows out the candles and wishes that Anna had never been born. Sure enough, time starts moving backward, and before long, his parents are heading to the hospital (happily, the scene of Anna being returned from whence she came isn’t depicted). Soon, however, Otto is regretting his wish, as he unpaints his drawing paper, brings the garbage inside on trash day, and finds “going to the bathroom . . . downright disgusting.” (This is demurely depicted with Otto on the toilet seat. Horrified.) Worst of all, however, is watching his birthdays roll back until he is just a baby. At the last possible moment, Otto figures out how to restart the clock. There’s lots of fun to be had with this Benjamin Button–like concept, and both words and pictures do a good job of mining it. The pen-and-paint artwork, with its bigheaded characters and use of strong shapes and colors, is eye-catching, while the be-careful-what-you-wish-for message comes through loud and clear. Preschool-Grade 1. --Ilene Cooper

Review

"The deadpan drollery of Magoon’s cartoon-style illustrations should appeal to adults as well as children, matching the quirkiness of Sussman’s premise. Otto’s demonstrative lack of enthusiasm as he shakes his rattle for Anna is flat-out hilarious, and his growing consternation as he begins to live his life backward comes across loud and clear. Genuine issue gracefully handled." --Kirkus Reviews

Clinical psychologist Sussman's first book for children is spot-on in its success capturing the voice and emotions of the new older sibling. . . . This book will entertain children whether or not they share Otto's experience, and would be a great choice for a bibliotherapeutic purpose as well.” --New England Reading Association Journal
"Along the way, the book hits just the right notes of childish frustration at a new sibling - sassy, not snotty. (Sussman is a clinical psychologist, which likely explains his eerily accurate mapping of Otto's id-urges.) And though the story ends up with Otto's newfound appreciation for Anna, it's a sweet ending rather than a saccharine one.” --Austin American-Statesman

About the Author

"!emit sdrawkcab ni kcuts llits m'I, ottO ekilnU !pleH" Michael Sussman is a clinical psychologist, writer, and musician. He lives in reverse - in notsoB - with his son, Oliver Quinn. This is his first picture book.

Scott Magoon has illustrated numerous picture books, including Ugly Fish (Harcourt Children’s Books, 2006), written by Kara LaReau; Luck of the Loch Ness Monster: A Tale of Picky Eating (Houghton Mifflin, 2007), written by Alice Weaver Flaherty; and Hugo and Miles In I've Painted Everything (Houghton Mifflin, 2007), which he himself wrote.

Reading age

4 - 7 years
Print length

32 pages
Language

English
Grade level

Preschool - 2
Dimensions

7.5 x 10 x 11.75 inches
Publisher

Sterling
Publication date

February 3, 2009
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0046LUSCO
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sterling (February 3, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 4 - 7 years
Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 2
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 10 x 11.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #9,190,498 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #14,007 in Children's Siblings Books (Books)
- #28,214 in Deals in Books

Customer Reviews:
4.9 15 ratings

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About the authors

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Scott Magoon
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Scott Magoon is the illustrator of several acclaimed picture books, including the New York Times bestselling RESCUE & JESSICA: A LIFE-CHANGING FRIENDSHIP by Jessica Kensky & Patrick Downes, MISUNDERSTOOD SHARK series BY Ame Dyckman and the SPOON series by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. He is also the author/illustrator of the EXTINCTS series of graphic novels, LINUS THE LITTLE YELLOW PENCIL, BREATHE and THE BOY WHO CRIED BIGFOOT. He lives in Massachusetts. Visit him online at www.scottmagoon.com
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Michael Sussman
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Abandoned by a cackle of hyenas, Michael Sussman endured the drudgery and hardships of a Moldavian orphanage until fleeing with a traveling circus at the age of twelve. A promising career as a trapeze artist was cut short by a concussion that rendered him lame and mute. Sussman wandered the world, getting by on such odd jobs as pet-food tester, cheese sculptor, human scarecrow, and professional mourner while teaching himself the art of fiction. He now lives in Tahiti with Gauguin, an African Grey parrot.
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Tracy Will

Great Story

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2013

Verified Purchase

One of our favorite books! My son especially notices and likes the blonde girl who attends Otto's birthday parties. Joy!

Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2015

HILARIOUS!!!!

Creative, silly, and profound all at once!

Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2022

What a delightful concept, executed with such wacky humor and a certain amount of satisfying fantasy logic.

Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2009

Verified Purchase

Loved the story. It will be the perfect book to hand to a family who have a child and are expecting another.

3 people found this helpful

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Amy

A touch of that unexpected magic...

Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2011

Otto gets a new sister, and she's just in time to ruin Otto's sixth birthday. Otto is not happy about the new addition, which is made abundantly clear when he uses his one birthday wish to, "wish that Anna was never born!"

True to the secret power of birthday wishes made under the correct conditions, Otto gets his heart's desire. Unfortunately, when Otto rewraps and returns all of his presents, he starts to get an idea that something may have gone horribly wrong. From leaving the barber with longer hair than he started out with, to getting out of the bathtub dirty instead of clean, Otto's un-growth is producing more than a few undesirable consequences.

As Otto arrives at his fifth birthday he attempts to fix his fateful wish. No luck. Fourth birthday? No. Third? No. Otto is stuck and the situation isn't looking good as Otto's second birthday also comes and goes.

Now, its Otto's last chance; his first birthday, but what can he do, he can't even talk anymore!

Find out more by checking out this delightful, sometimes disgusting book on being careful of what you wish for and learning that maybe that new baby isn't so bad after all.

Why 4 stars instead of 5? The artwork is just not my style. A personal thing.

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Brimful Curiosities

Backwards time stretches the imagination

Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2009

The birthday. The candles and cake. The WISH! Otto, on his sixth birthday, feels rather neglected. You see, one week earlier, he became a big brother. No longer the center of attention, Otto takes his birthday wish to heart and wishes his baby sister Anna was never born. In theory, you'd think a wish like that would set things like they were before. Not quite so, as Otto quickly learns. The wish makes time go backwards. Yes, Otto's parents take his sister back to the hospital. But backwards time doesn't stop there. Time continues to go in reverse. Otto, to his dismay, grows younger, smaller and more frantic as each former birthday passes and he desperately tries to set things right.

Some picture books are pure fluff. This book is not and that is a good thing. Otto Grows Down, the fascinating and funny children's book by Michael Sussman stretches the imagination. I can guarantee Sussman's book will make children think, particularly about jealousy and also the concept of time. Most kids with siblings will at some point develop feelings of resentment. Using humor, the book provides a good starting point for discussions with children about sibling rivalry. Otto feels awful about his wish and learns a valuable lesson, put best by the illustrator Magoon, "Otto grew up when he grew down."

Besides the sibling rivalry slant, the book is very clever in other ways as well. While talks about jealousy are helpful, my preschool daughter found the fantasy of time moving backwards most intriguing. Before reading the book to her, I must admit to wondering whether she would grasp the concept or get scared about time in reverse. After a little explanation she so totally got it and loved the pretend aspect. In fact, she wants to keep talking about time moving backwards. So much so, that we've read the book nearly every single day. Her favorite parts of the book include the illustration of the wristwatch hands going the wrong direction and the bathroom scene. (Fair warning, the book contains a small bit of potty humor, something that all children seem to love.) The other clever point? Teachers and parents should find this book quite useful in teaching about palindromes -- words or phrases that read the same way backward or forward. All the names of the characters in the book are palindromes: Otto, Anna, Bob, Mom and Dad.

Scott Magoon's mostly dark, cartoonish illustrations bring feeling to the story. His use of color helps display Otto's emotion, with muted blacks and grays showing his discontentedness and love inspired orangish-red when events turn around. On a sidenote, I personally think Otto has worse problems than the birth of his sibling, namely his father's choice in clothing. His father seems to make a habit out of wearing Hawaiian shirts, sometimes paired with cardigan sweaters and plaid pants. Talk about embarrassing. I know what I'd be wishing for on my next birthday if I were Otto.

Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2017

My kids love the idea of bringing in the trash and spooning cake out of their mouths among other things. Really unique.

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Quirky and humorous look at sibling rivalry

Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2009

Michael Sussman's first children's book is a humorous take on sibling rivalry and suitable for preschoolers and up. In the story, six-year-old Otto is celebrating his birthday when he gets upset at all the attention being given to his infant sister Anna. He wishes that she was never born and soon enough finds his wish coming true in the strangest manner - time moves backwards, and very soon, Anna is sent back to the hospital and Otto finds himself getting younger and younger. As he grows 'down', Otto begins to grow 'up' and learns the lesson of appreciating having a sibling. The story of Otto growing 'down' is told in a whimsical manner, and the full-color illustrations by Scott Magoon enhance the story, giving it a humorous angle that was appreciated by both me and my four-year-old preschooler. "Otto Grows Down" is a unique take on sibling rivalry and the concept of time moving backwards also makes for an interesting discussion point.

3 people found this helpful

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