Big Top Otto

June 15, 2013
Otto the peanut-allergic elephant cracks another case. Still looking for his missing childhood friend, Georgie the chimp, and fresh from helping the big city cops bust a gang of hoodlums, Otto and his sidekick, Crackers the parrot, make their way across the country. This time, they're following circus Punkratz & Pinky, which, if the posters are to be believed, may be where Georgie ended up after being abducted by the man with the wooden nose. Leaving a trail of inadvertent destruction (thanks to Otto's explosive allergic sneezes), they catch up to the circus only to find it's a front for exotic-animal smugglers...and Georgie has moved on. Can the bumbling duo save their new animal friends? The slapstick and goofy situations (Otto dresses as a clown; is mistaken for a football mascot; drives a peanut-shaped car) in Slavin's second full-color graphic adventure will entertain even if several jokes are well above the reading level. It's also a bit disturbing that animals wearing clothes and speaking are still treated like animals (and hunted for sport) by humans; but the old-timey feel should win fans and please those already established. Nonthreatening, nonstop mayhem...next stop: Tinseltown! (Graphic adventure. 8-11)

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November 1, 2013

Gr 3-6-Otto is traveling the American countryside, along with his friend Crackers the parrot, in search of his chimp friend, Georgie, who has been kidnapped. Falling into one humorous situation after another, the elephant finds himself accidentally impersonating a sports team mascot, in jail, and, ultimately, at the Punkratz and Pinky Traveling Circus. In his pursuit of Georgie and the kidnapper, he discovers a dark side to the circus when he finds himself in a room surrounded by taxidermied animals. As it turns out, animals are being sold from the zoo and hunted. Using his peanut allergy for comic relief (apparently, it's not dangerous for elephants to be allergic to peanuts-it only makes them sneeze explosively), Otto unwittingly saves the day. Following leads and hunches brings Otto and Crackers close to finding Georgie, but the book ends on a cliff-hanger, which will leave young readers eager for the next book. Slavin is a skilled illustrator and storyteller, and he brings these talents to this graphic-novel series. The full-color art is traditional in style, and the illustrations, particularly of Otto, add humor to an already funny story.-Liz Zylstra, County of Prince Edward Public Library, Picton, Ontario

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2013
Grades 2-4 Otto the elephant and Crackers the parrot continue their search (begun in Big City Otto, 2011) for their friend Georgie, a chimpanzee who was kidnapped by the Man with the Wooden Nose. When they discover that Georgie might be in the Punkratz and Pinky Circus, they hitch a train ride from Louisiana to southern Georgia. As they investigate, they learn that the circus is a front for smuggling animals to a wealthy hunter. Slavin slips in a lot of humorous asides to entertain grown-ups while providing a comical adventure with just the right amount of danger for younger readers. His colorful art hearkens back to classic comics, and he has created a world where humans and animals can talk freely with one another. Otto isn't very bright, but he is loyal to his friends, while Crackers has a more cynical worldview. Whether they are misadventuring through a disastrous parade and football game or helping an Underground Railroadstyle operation to rescue mistreated animals, the two friends will be cheered on by young readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2014
With Esperanga Melo. In this graphic novel, Otto the elephant and Crackers the parrot visit a circus to find their chimpanzee friend Georgie. Although he's not there, they discover a group of animals that need to be saved from a sleazy ringmaster and an eccentric hunter. Silly text and illustrations will make readers laugh, but some jokes will likely go over their heads.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)