Otis

Book title: Otis
Author and artist: Loren Long
Publisher: Philomel Books: A Division of Penguin Young readers group
Publication date: 2009
Illustrated fiction for young children
Page count 34
ISBN # 978-0-399-25248-8
Cost $ 17.99 USA/ $ 22.50 Canada
Story review: Allen Klingelhoets

Otis is first book about a special tractor with life like abilities for machine . He can talk through sounds of his motor going putt puff putted chuff. He can drive through farmer’s fields with no help from man farmer. I never did notice name of farmer or state story is set.

I was shown fenced in farm that Otis and farm animals lived. Loren Long drew visual images of farm land. There was house which was near red barn. The barn even had wind mill. Otis was shown to have many animal friends. One of Otis’s friends was pet calf. Otis would sometimes at end of the day, go to the apple tree. He would sit on hill under the tree and watch the farm below. Otis book is origin story.

Characters like the farmer, Fire Chief Douglas are introduced into Otis story line. The scene of story also included area on farmers land called “Mud Pond”. Pond was aptly called when calf got caught in mud and needed help from entire community which included Fire Chief Douglas with big red fire truck. Would even farmers new yellow tractor be able to save calf? Or would it older tractor Otis? The calf was sinking deeper in mud. He would soon drown in pond water. Otis with his soothing tractor sounds helped save calf. Sounds helped sooth calf and stop struggling in mud.

I thought rather amazing story. I also liked how many of the characters and animals appear in future Otis books. I got feeling that Otis would make great cartoon show. The corn field drawn near "Mud Pond" also gave hint of future Otis story. How would the farm animals and Otis react if farmer put a scare crow next to corn field? I will soon be reviewing Otis book called “Otis and the Scarecrow”.

Here is some information about Loren Long on the back inner jacket cover.

Loren Long remembers well the picture books that he read as a child. He particularly loved the artwork of artists like Virginia Lee Burten and Robert Lawson. Looking to these very books he wanted to create an original book of his own that children today might take to heart as certainly as he took to books in his childhood.

He made his debut as writer and illustrator with New York Times bestselling story “Drummer Boy”.



Allen Klingehoets