Otto the Book Bear

Clemenson, Katie. (2011). Otto the book bear. Uxbridge, London: Random House Children's Books.

Otto the Book Bear, written and illustrated by Katie Cleminson, is a variation on the theme of illustrations that come to life and walk out of their books. Otto is a bear who loves when his book is being read, but gets lonely when he is left on the shelf so he leaves his book at night and explores the house where he lives - he even writes about his own adventures sometimes.  One day, big trucks take everything away from his house - but Otto is not in his book!  Left alone and with no home, Otto leaves to look for a new home.  He feels small and lost in the big city but eventually finds friends and a new home at the public library. His adventures remind me a little of Cordouroy. Cleminson's black line illustrations washed with soft colours give a gentle feel to the book and the white space around the illustrations and text give the reader's (or listener's) eyes a rest, making it accessible for a very young audience. A great read-aloud or early reading book as the pictures give a lot of clues to the text and really help to tell the story.

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