Otto and Pio (Read aloud book for children about friendship and family)

by Marianne Dubuc

Overview

"It has a terrific message about the importance of family and how to care for those you love. An excellent and timeless selection for all picture book shelves."—School Library Journal, STARRED Review

Otto the squirrel is perfectly content living by himself in his treehouse in the forest, when a small creature arrives on his doorstep. Otto invites the curious little Pio in, but soon Pio eats all the hazelnuts, takes up the entire bed, and just gets bigger and bigger! Frustrated at first, Otto comes to realize that his home is much happier with his new friend.

Award-winning author and illustrator Marianne Dubuc has written a heart-warming tale about finding friendship and family when it is expected least and needed most.

"This tender look at the value of taking care of each other quietly considers the meaning of home and family."—The Horn Book Magazine

Read our other award-winning books by Marianne Dubuc:

• Up the Mountain Path
• The Fish and the Cat

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781616897604
Publisher:	Princeton Architectural Press
Publication date:	03/19/2019
Sales rank:	393,761
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 10.30(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Marianne Dubuc is an award-winning author and illustrator of many picture books, including The Lion and the Bird, Up the Mountain Path, and Mr. Postmouse's Rounds. Her books have been translated into twenty-five languages. She lives in Montreal, where she joyfully divides her time between her artwork and her family.

Editorial Reviews

★ 12/03/2018
In this quiet story by Dubuc (Up the Mountain Path), the unidentified creature who appears in front of squirrel Otto’s tree trunk dwelling isn’t just uninvited, he’s inconvenient. Otto feels compelled to look after the furry, pink-snouted Pio (he’s named for the sound he most often makes), but Pio grows larger every day, pushing Otto out of his green hammock bed, then out of his house. Otto is ambivalent but ethical about Pio’s arrival: “I am not your mommy,” he tells the furry creature coolly. “Tomorrow we’ll hang up posters. I’m sure your real mother is looking for you.” Dubuc’s gently colored spreads provide almost documentary-level detail—she draws all the leaves on Otto’s tree, the tiny posters Otto plasters all over it, and the vegetables Pio chops up for soup. Slowly, Otto realizes that Pio is generous and helpful. And when Pio rescues him from a frightening predator, he decides that it might be worth making room to accommodate his new friend. Dubuc doesn’t insist that readers warm right up to new or strange situations. It takes a long time, sometimes, for creatures to learn to love each other. Ages 5–8. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"Dubuc’s soft watercolor-and-pencil illustrations unfold as individual scenes-often two per page-that trace Otto’s fruitless search and Pio’s astonishing growth, which poses a whole new set of problems. Pio steadily turns Otto’s house into a home by cleaning, decorating, and making soup while Otto is away. These small acts are heartwarming for readers and Otto alike, effectively demonstrating how love and family can come in all shapes and sizes."
- Booklist

" The pacing and feelings ring true in this heartwarming depiction of someone accustomed to being the center of his universe but who responds to the impulse of hospitality and friendship."
- Kirkus Reviews

"Marianne Dubuc's delightful tale of oddball friendship and unexpected domesticity."
- The Wall Street Journal

"The soft, warm watercolor and colored-pencil palette of the forest and Otto’s home provides the perfect backdrop to diffuse tension within this developing friendship. Full of funny moments and details, the full-page illustrations and spot art move the plot along, while well-placed double-page spreads pause the tale to heighten its emotion. This tender look at the value of taking care of each other quietly considers the meaning of home and family."
- The Horn Book Magazine

"Marianne Dubuc's newest story, Otto and Pio, is a charming take on finding friendship and family when you least expect it. Your kids will laugh at the friendship these characters share."
- Cool Mom Picks

"This book is a lovely reminder that you don't need to be related to be family."
- Bookish

"A family tale that teaches children how love makes a home. Dubuc has created a simple and beautiful story that is perfectly matched with her intricate illustrations. The colors are soft and bright, giving readers a warm fuzzy feel­ing as they travel through the story. The entire book is clean and simple, not too difficult to follow, and explains an often-complex rela­tionship in the best way possible. This engag­ing read-aloud will warm children's hearts. It has a terrific message about the importance of family and how to care for those you love. An excellent and timeless selec­tion for all picture book shelves."
- School Library Journal (STARRED Review)

In this quiet story by Dubuc (Up the Mountain Path), the unidentified creature who appears in front of squirrel Otto’s tree trunk dwelling isn’t just uninvited, he’s inconvenient... Slowly, Otto realizes that Pio is generous and helpful. And when Pio rescues him from a frightening predator, he decides that it might be worth making room to accommodate his new friend. Dubuc doesn’t insist that readers warm right up to new or strange situations. It takes a long time, sometimes, for creatures to learn to love each other.
- Publishers Weekly Starred Review

From the Publisher

★ 02/01/2019

PreS-Gr 2—A family tale that teaches children how love makes a home. When Otto the squirrel finds a small furry creature named Pio, he shelters him while searching for Pio's origins. As the search goes on Otto comes to love his new hazelnut-eating, soup-making, caring child. Eventually Pio becomes too big for Otto's treetop house and Otto becomes upset and leaves, but Pio follows and helps Otto realize that they are a family and that maybe some big problems are not actually that big. Dubuc has created a simple and beautiful story that is perfectly matched with her intricate illustrations. The colors are soft and bright, giving readers a warm fuzzy feeling as they travel through the story. Each illustration reveals small details of Otto and Pio's individual personalities, but also their growing familial relationship. The entire book is clean and simple, not too difficult to follow, and explains an often-complex relationship in the best way possible. This engaging read-aloud will warm children's hearts. It has a terrific message about the importance of family and how to care for those you love. VERDICT An excellent and timeless selection for all picture book shelves. —Margaret Kennelly, iSchool at Urbana-Champaign, IL

School Library Journal