Fern and Otto
A Picture Book Story About Two Best Friends
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
Perfect for fans of Erin Stead and Emily Winfield Martin, here is a charming picture book about two friends who enter a fairytale world hoping to find an exciting story to tell.
When best friends Fern, a bear, and Otto, a cat, go searching for an exciting story in the forest, they have different ideas about what that means. Fern thinks they should stop and watch a race between a tortoise and a hare, but Otto worries a tortoise is too slow to be exciting. Fern thinks the three brothers talking about how to build a house is incredibly interesting, but Otto isn't convinced. Along the way, the two friends meet a little girl in red who is off to visit her grandmother (and a wolf headed the same way!); a cranky girl complaining that her porridge isn't the right temperature; and many others. But it's not until they run into a big scary witch that they both can agree that this is not the kind of excitement they had in mind. With irresistible illustrations and tons of charming details, this is a delightful fantasy adventure that proves the best adventures are the ones you share.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Fern, a large brown bear, draws a quiet story about having lunch and a nap, but Otto, a small, adventure-loving tabby, finds it wanting, so the two set off into the forest in search of story fodder. Otto dismisses a race between a tortoise and a hare ("That doesn't seem very fun to me"), and he's not interested in the girl who offers them porridge ("Why were there so many bear things in that house?"). Every creature they meet, readers will quickly realize, is a character from a fairy tale, and the satisfaction of identifying them contributes to the story's pleasure, if not to Otto's literary sensibilities. Soon, Fern and Otto encounter a more intimidating fairy tale habitu (her gingerbread house is a giveaway), and Otto decides he's had enough adventure for one day. A palette of soft greens and browns signals coziness and safety, and the forest brims with unexpected charms. Graegin (Little Fox in the Forest) uses delicate lines and soft colors to fill the spreads with domestic details, gently leading readers to the idea that contemplative, homey friends are wonderful to have around when the going gets rough. Ages 3 7.
