The Bright Side

by Chad Otis, Chad Otis (Illustrator)

Overview

This endearing picture book about making the most of any situation is also a heartfelt and meaningful portrait of houselessness that’s just right for young children.

Sometimes it’s hard to stay positive: when you live in an old school bus instead of a normal house; when you have mostly just bread and ketchup to eat; and especially when you have to go to a new school where all the other kids already have friends. But the sweet and creative boy in this story discovers that he can do things he never thought possible, by using the skills his parents have taught him: imagining . . . and trying . . . and finding a way to look on the bright side.
 
This honest, accessible, and compassionate story is based on the author’s own childhood. Its message about resourcefulness and courage will resonate with every reader.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593530627
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	02/21/2023
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	407,442
Product dimensions:	9.38(w) x 11.25(h) x 0.41(d)
Lexile:	AD560L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Chad Otis received his BFA in design from the University of Washington and then worked with Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Disney, Mattel, Hasbro, Nintendo, and DreamWorks for over twenty years as an animator, illustrator, and creative director. He now devotes himself to writing and illustrating children’s books. He lives with his wife in Boise, Idaho.

Editorial Reviews

12/19/2022

This story from Otis (A Little Ferry Tale), based, per the author’s bio, in personal experience, opens with the young, pale-skinned narrator waving goodbye to friends, explaining, “We live in an old school bus now. At least until we can get a normal house again.” Mom and Dad keep telling their child to “look on the bright side,” but they’d prefer not to when the phrase means that one “gets” to do school on the bus, have “pizza toast” dinners made of white bread and ketchup, snuggle together when it’s cold, and make their own toys. When the child eventually enters school, they quickly run afoul of classroom rules and find themselves friendless, but they also find that they possess imagination, resilience, and the power to define “the bright side” for themselves. And when a class pizza and movie party is canceled, they organize a shadow theater and cookout, forging new connections and underscoring the idea that “we can do just about anything... if we look on the bright side.” Digitally enhanced, watercolor-textured pencil and ink drawings keep the mood relatively light throughout this reportorial, child’s-eye view of changing circumstances and financial precarity. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

★ "The author, whose experiences mirror the character’s, honestly acknowledges the physical and emotional difficulties of the family’s situation while still leaving room for joy and avoids evoking feelings of pity by granting full agency to the sympathetic lead. The art is blocky and simple, with great use of repetition and subtle but powerful facial expressions . . . An honest yet uplifting and deeply empathetic child’s-eye view of houselessness." —Kirkus, starred review

★ "Lively multimedia illustrations colorfully combine pencil, ink, collected textures, and digital paint to contribute subtle but powerful details that expand on the text . . . A sensitive story infused with optimism and perseverance, this will encourage wholesome conversation with children of all socioeconomic backgrounds; it’s an essential purchase." —School Libray Journal, starred review

"When the child eventually enters school, they quickly run afoul of classroom rules and find themselves friendless, but they also find that they possess imagination, resilience, and the power to define 'the bright side' for themselves . . . Digitally enhanced, watercolor-textured pencil and ink drawings keep the mood relatively light throughout this reportorial, child’s-eye view of changing circumstances and financial precarity." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

★ 03/17/2023

PreS-Gr 2—A brown-haired, pale-skinned boy waves a gloomy farewell to his friends as his father steers away the family's new home, an old school bus. Mom and Dad encourage him to "look on the bright side," but that's difficult to do when his showers now come from a garden hose and bread and ketchup is the closest thing he'll have to a real pizza. The boy doesn't even attend a normal school, until Mom decides it's time to change that. On his first day of school, he is anxious and it's difficult for him to sit and listen in class. He hasn't brought any food with him for lunch, so collects leftovers from the table. The boy begins to realize that his classmates probably don't live the way he does, which complicates the idea of making new friends. When the class hears that their much-anticipated movie and pizza party is canceled, can the boy harness the power of his imagination to help his classmates look on the bright side? Otis's picture book delivers a glimpse into his own experience with childhood unhousedness and living on a school bus. Lively multimedia illustrations colorfully combine pencil, ink, collected textures, and digital paint to contribute subtle but powerful details that expand on the text. Approachable for young readers, this story can serve as a window for children who have not experienced housing and food insecurity and a mirror for those who know the struggles. Additionally, the boy's creative mindset of looking on the bright side models imaginative play and problem-solving skills. VERDICT A sensitive story infused with optimism and perseverance, this will encourage wholesome conversation with children of all socioeconomic backgrounds; it's an essential purchase.—Emily Brush

School Library Journal

★ 2023-03-14
An unhoused child finds a way to fit in.

The unnamed narrator and their family “live in an old school bus…until we can get a normal house again.” Mom and Dad valiantly try to get the child to “look on the bright side”—cold nights in an unheated vehicle become “family snuggle time,” being hosed down for lack of better plumbing becomes bathing “in the ‘great outdoors,’ ” and not being able to afford a new toy becomes an opportunity for arts and crafts. Enrolled in “a real school,” presumably with classmates whose existences are less precarious, the narrator struggles to understand rules both academic and social. The child is excluded (but not bullied) until skills born from necessity save the class’s about-to-be-canceled pizza party in a satisfying conclusion. In general, first-person, present-tense narration can be distancing, but overall the story deftly walks a tricky tightrope. The author, whose experiences mirror the character’s, honestly acknowledges the physical and emotional difficulties of the family’s situation while still leaving room for joy and avoids evoking feelings of pity by granting full agency to the sympathetic lead. The art is blocky and simple, with great use of repetition and subtle but powerful facial expressions. Mom, Dad, and the protagonist are tan-skinned; the class is diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An honest yet uplifting and deeply empathetic child’s-eye view of houselessness. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews