Fern and Otto

July 24, 2020

PreS-Gr 2-The creator of Little Fox in the Forest introduces friends Fern and Otto in this beautiful book about appreciating the little things in life. Fern, a large anthropomorphised bear, is creating a book for her best friend (and housemate) Otto, a tiger-striped cat. Otto decides the story is boring, so the friends go in search of adventure. They come across a tortoise and a hare in a race, a girl eating porridge in a house full of bear pictures, a red-cloaked girl and a wolf, and, ultimately, a witch with an edible house, who invites them in. At that, they quickly head home, where Otto goes to bed, and Fern completes her story about their everyday adventures, which Otto predictably loves. Graegin's text is concise, effectively flipping between third-person narration and speech bubbles to tell the story. The digitally colored pencil illustrations are quaint and full of details, with an old-fashioned feel. The animals have a cuddly, stuffed-animal appearance. Fern's own book is depicted in its entirety, and drawn with a softer, perhaps more childlike look. Graegin seeds the story with visual references to fairy tales and Mother Goose rhymes, and even has cameos from her own Little Fox; the gentle moral is so subtly embedded that child readers will likely agree without ever realizing it is there. VERDICT The whole work is deceptively simple yet visually complex, encouraging close inspection and multiple rereads. Libraries will want to find a place on their shelves for this delightful friendship story. -Amy Lilien-Harper, Wilton Lib., CT

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2020
A cat and a bear working on a picture book find familiar stories in the forest. Fern, a bear, and Otto, a cat, have a busy and full life together in a cozy seaside treehouse they share as best friends. When Fern tries to write and illustrate a book about their friendship, Otto suggests they go out into the forest for more exciting material, such as unicorns, dragons, or wish-granting genies. Instead, the pair come across stories in progress that'll be familiar to most young readers, such as "The Tortoise and the Hare," "The Three Bears," and, most frightening, the witch from "Hansel and Gretel." It's all a "little too exciting for me," Otto finally admits, "I really would love a story about two friends who live in a cozy house on a hill, far away from wolves and witches." Graegin's follow-up to her first authored picture book, Little Fox in the Forest (2017), trades that wordless experience for a more convoluted story that seems a little beside the point, as Fern and Otto neither affect the fairy tales nor are much affected by them until the final fright. But the soft illustrations of the forest adventure, with dozens of beautifully rendered critters and kids (many of color) and a rapturous depiction of the duo's treehouse in the moonlight, make up for any narrative missteps. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-22.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.) The fairy tales asides, there's plenty of cozy warmth in Fern and Otto's friendship itself. (Picture book. 3-7)

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July 27, 2020
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 habitué (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. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

September 1, 2020
Preschool-G Fern and Otto, a bear and cat, while away happy hours together in their hilltop home. Fern puts paw to paper to record their life together, but Otto deems their ice-cream breaks and sunny naps too boring to record. Seeking adventure, they journey into the forest and note several curious characters?a tortoise about to race a hare, a girl in a bear-themed house offering them porridge?but while Fern is frequently intrigued, Otto always insists there's a better story to be found elsewhere. When they happen upon a certain sinister candy-coated cottage, Otto realizes that their idyllic life on the hilltop is wonderful just as it is, and Fern happily agrees to return home and finish the book. The book-within-a-book device works beautifully here, with readers getting a glimpse into Fern's creation process and droll narrative comments along the way. Graegin's pencil-and-digital illustrations add incredible detail to the silly story, and readers will want to pause and note all of the fairy-tale references packed into every page.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)