Otis and the Puppy

Written by Loren Long

Narrated by Chris Sorensen

Otis and his farm friends love to play hide-and-seek. Otis especially loves to be "It," finding his friends as they hide. Yet when the newest addition to the farm-- a bounding puppy who can't sit still and has a habit of licking faces-- tries to hide, he finds his attention wandering and is soon lost in the forest. Night falls and Otis, knowing his new friend is afraid of the dark, sets out to find him. There's just one problem: Otis is also afraid of the dark. His friend is alone and in need, though, so Otis takes a deep breath, counts to ten, and sets off on a different game of hide-and-seek.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 12, 2013
• ISBN: 9781470360740

Loren Long

Loren Long is the illustrator of the New York Times bestselling picture book Love by Matt de la Pena, as well as the author-illustrator of Otis, Otis and the Tornado, Otis and the Puppy, An Otis Christmas, and Otis and the Scarecrow. He is the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of President Barack Obama’s picture book Of Thee I Sing and the reillustrated edition of The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. He lives in Ohio. To learn more, please visit www.lorenlong.com.

Reviews for Otis and the Puppy

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Otis the tractor and his farmyard friends return in this third picture-book devoted to their ongoing story. When a puppy joins their ranks, the companions welcome him, incorporating him into all their games, including hide-and-seek. Otis becomes the puppy's nighttime comforter, when he is afraid of the dark. Then one day the puppy goes missing, lost in the woods, and it falls to Otis to conquer his own fear of the dark, and set out to find him...Like its predecessors, Otis and the Puppy pairs an engaging, warmhearted story with beautiful, appealing artwork. The puppy's depiction, in particular, is very well done, and dog-lovers young and old will recognize many of his antics and expressions from their experiences with their own canine companions. I really enjoy these books, with their mixture of nostalgic and contemporary visual elements, and their sweet stories about friendship and good values, and this was no exception. Recommended to fellow Otis fans, to young dog lovers, and to anyone looking for children's stories about conquering your fear and helping others.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Aww... great message about courage and friendship, and delightful illustrations, with the quiet interplay of subtle colors that give the reader a chance to create her own excitement about them. But somehow it just doesn't touch me deeply enough that I'll remember this after I return it to the library, or that I can unreservedly recommend it.