Cammuso, F., & Lynch, J. (2008). Otto's orange day: A toon book. New York: Little Lit Library.
40 Pages
Ages 4-8
Plot:
Otto's favorite color is orange. All his favorite toys are orange. One day an orange package arrives for him from his aunt containing an orange lamp. Suddenly a giant genie appears and offers Otto, as the owner of the lamp, one wish. Of course Otto wishes that everything was orange. And so his wish is granted.
While at first Otto finds this wonderful, he soon realizes the danger of traffic lights being all orange and that orange spinach is not as fun as he had imagined. He has to change the world back- but how? Otto only had one wish. Otto calls his aunt who ingeniously buys the lamp back from Otto for a nickel and commands the genie to make the world not all orange. Unfortunately the tricky genie then makes the whole world blue. But after Otto buys him a pizza, since he hasn't eaten in 880 years, he decides he can't eat a blue pizza and restores the world to its multi-color form. Otto realizes he likes all the colors, even if does still like orange the best.
My Impressions:
The narrative of this story was very straightforward in terms of its development and delivery. The artwork was bold and captivating. I enjoyed the book's theme of valuing the differences around us and that these differences are only enhanced by the variety around us, not diminished. Appreciating these unique differences and individual preferences is an important lessen that is artfully told. I think this a great introductory book to the genre of graphicnovels and would be very much enjoyed by today's young readers.
Reviews:
From Booklist
"Written by ‘60s underground comic guru Lynch and Eisner-nominated Cammuso, who also did the artwork, this book in the new TOON imprint gives emerging readers a high-quality comic that is both loads of fun and easy to read. It’s a simple, archetypal story: Otto, a little orange-loving cat, wishes “everythingwas orange,” but when a genie grants his wish, he realizes that he should have been more careful what he wished for: orange lamb chops . . . “Blaach!!!” This is a textbook example of how to use page composition, expanding panel size, color, and stylized fi gures to make sequential art fresh, energetic, and lively. With the particular pedigree of the book’s creators, however, one can’t help but miss avantgarde subversiveness that made Little Lit books (e.g., Strange Stories for Strange Kids, 2001) for older children so thrilling and unique. Even without that element, though, this book is sure to engage a new generation in the art form; kids will want to read it once, then return to it again and again."
Karp, J. (2008). Otto's Orange Day. Booklist, 104(14), 66.
From School Library Journal
"Gr 1-3. Two veteran cartoonists collaborate to create a comic-strip-style book for beginning readers. Otto, an orange cat, receives a mysterious lamp from his aunt. While dusting it off, he releases the genie that resides within and is offered a wish as a reward. Otto declares that he would like everything in the world to be orange, his favorite color; however, after his wish is granted, the results-including a bad-tasting orange lamb chop and an orange-only traffic light that causes car accidents-soon cause him to have second thoughts. With the help of Aunt Sally Lee, Otto outsmarts the genie and sets things right. Each page features one to four panels, and the bulk of the story is told through dialogue balloons. The cartoons are lively and colorful. Clear chapter divisions, a clean graphic design, and large-size print make this title more appropriate for early readers than most comic-book offerings. Still, true beginners may have trouble with some of the vocabulary and struggle to follow the narrative flow. Offer this to book readers with a bit of experience under their belts and an interest in comics and cartoons. "
Fleishhacker, J. (2008). Otto's Orange Day. School Library Journal, 54(5), 153.
Library Suggestions:
This book would be good as part of a lesson on being careful what you wish for. Instructors could even incorporate an activity involving coloring a picture using only shades of orange and then one with all the colors.
This book would also be great as part of a collection of graphic novels for young readers as this is a good introductory book to the genre by two talented artists and writers.
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