Gideon and Otto

January 1, 2012
Gideon the gosling loves toy Otto; Gideon loses Otto; Gideon finds Otto. Joy, oh joy. Gideon and his toy octopus, Otto, are inseparable. They swim, play and read together. But one day, Gideon leaves Otto on a wall while he plays with his bunny friends. During their playful romp, Otto falls into the long grass. Gideon searches desperately until Otto rides out of the grass on a turtle's back. There you have the entire tale, told simply, but conveying heartfelt emotion. Gideon, a new character in Dunrea's sweet gosling series, like his predecessors, reflects very young readers' concerns, experiences and confusions. Gideon and Otto are loving friends, no matter that one of them is an inanimate toy. His feelings of sadness and worry when Otto is missing are universal, as is his relief and happiness when they are reunited. The small 6 x 6 format is just right for little hands, as is the clarity of the design. Each page has one sentence in large typeface with an illustration above that perfectly matches the action and is surrounded by lots of bright white space. The illustrations are neatly outlined in black and are rendered in pen, gouache and ink on watercolor paper, with true shades of oranges, yellows and greens predominating. A lovely and comforting addition to a charming series. (Picture book. 2-5)

(COPYRIGHT (2012) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from January 1, 2012

PreS-Gideon is a "small ruddy gosling who likes to play. All day." This fun-loving, feathered fellow explores the farm and engages in such activities as "chase-the-piglet," "find-the-eggs," and "tag-the-mole." His mother calls, but Gideon keeps replying, "No nap! I'm playing!" After climbing to the top of a haystack and snuggling down in the straw, sleepiness wins out. In Gideon and Otto, children meet the gosling's favorite friend. When the toy octopus goes missing, a search of the leaf pile and pond ensues. Otto's triumphant return is on the back of a turtle. Dunrea's ink-and-watercolor illustrations capture Gideon's ebullient personality-feathers fly when he is racing to his next adventure, and his beloved stuffed toy is tucked under his wing when he is quietly reading a book. With their pitch-perfect texts and charming characters, these stories are ideal for toddlers.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2012
A new gosling joins Dunrea's farmyard. Gideon "likes to play. All day" until he collapses in a tiny heap atop a haystack. [cf2]Otto[cf1] introduces Gideon's "favorite friend," a stuffed-toy octopus. The two are briefly separated; their reunion is a sweet surprise. Seemingly simple, the art is filled with clever, kid-beguiling details.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 1, 2012
A new gosling has arrived to join the farmyard fun and games in this series that began with Gossie and Gossie & Gertie (rev. 1/03). Gideon is a "small, ruddy gosling who likes to play. All day." Play all day is right -- even after his mother calls him in for a nap. "No nap! I'm playing!" says Gideon repeatedly, until all played out, he collapses in a tiny heap atop a haystack. As with the earlier books, preschoolers and their caretakers will be amused by these oh-so-familiar battles. The arc of Gideon's activity aptly depicts a child's growing exhaustion: first chasing the piglets and playing tag-the-mole, he then listens to bees buzzing and plays quietly (and, one would guess, slowly) with a turtle. Gideon & Otto introduces Gideon's "favorite friend," a stuffed-toy octopus. Constant companions, the two are briefly separated when Gideon goes off to romp with the rabbits; their reunion is a sweet surprise. Dunrea's pictures are as beguiling as ever, with charmingly undersized animals -- the mole and rabbits are even smaller than little Gideon. Seemingly simple, the art is filled with clever details kids will appreciate, such as when Gideon's mother calls him, her head and neck low to the ground at first, then rising higher with each successive (ignored) request until she's bellowing at the sky. Every child and parent will feel that Dunrea has written these books for, and about, themselves. jennifer m. brabander

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)