Otis Dooda: Strange but True by Ellen Potter

Otis Dooda: Strange but True

Ellen Potter

Illustrated by David Heatley

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Publication: June 2013 from Feiwel and Friends
Pages: 240
Format: ARC
Acquisition: I received this book from the publisher for free in exchange for my review

Synopsis:

HARDY-HAR-HAR!

Meet Otis Dooda. Yes, that’s his name. Go on and have a good laugh. He’s heard it all before. He’s been called things like Otis Poopy Stink and Otis Toilet Twinkie. That’s right, yuck it up and get it out of your system. We’ll wait.

All right then. This is the story of Otis and the Dooda family (including their rat named Smoochie) moving to New York City, and the incredibly strange, but true, things that happened to them. It all started with Otis getting cursed by a guy in a potted plant in their apartment building lobby, and then meeting a bunch of their neighbors, including a farting pony named Peaches who was disguised as a dog. And that was just the first day.

(from Goodreads)

I love illustrated chapter books! I really wish there were more books like Otis Dooda when I was a kid. Now, I can't wait to share this one with my daughter.

Otis is a pretty typical kid - or a "sort of" kid in his own words. Sort of short, short of good at some things, sort of bad at others. He was a very believable and like able character.

Otis and his family, made even more 'sort of'' normal by the inclusion of an older bully brother, have just moved to New York City. Living on the 35th floor of a huge apartment building he soon makes friends. I love that Otis's family is a little odd but that the friends he makes are also a little odd. Everyone fit together really well.

Lots of laughs - lots of fart jokes - which even I found funny so you can imagine how kids will react :) Lots of love too in this one - Otis understanding his brother a bit better, learning not to judge people because they're a little weird, making new friends, working together to solve problems - there is a lot to like in this book!

If you have a young reader in your life, I highly recommend picking them up a copy of Otis Dooda Strange But True!

AND I just saw that there is going to be a book 2 - I can totally see this becoming a best selling series!

Rating

5 / 5 Stars

I've also read The Humming Room by Ellen Potter and loved it!

Book Review: Croc Capers (Bindi Wildlife Adventures #7) by Bindi Irwin and Chris Kunz

Reading Level: Ages 7 and up
Publication Date: August 2012
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Series: 7th in a series
Acquisition: I received a free copy for review from the publisher

Summary:

The next installment of this hit series features stories that are inspired and co-created by Bindi Irwin, daughter of the iconic wildlife expert, Steve Irwin.

Bindi, Robert and Terri Irwin are on their annual crocodile-tagging trip in the Cape York Peninsula, the home of the extraordinary Steve Irwin wildlife Reserve. When Bindi and Robert chance upon a camp site set up by a father and daughter behaving like two fish out of water, they soon discover the real reason behind their trip to the reserve. (from Goodreads)

My thoughts:
The 7th book in a series for young readers, Croc Capers takes us into the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve in Australia. Bindi Irwin and her younger brother Robert are looking forward to their annual estuarine crocodile research trip but their excitement is quickly replaced with worry when they stumble upon a land developer's campsite.

What follows can only be described as a lesson with heart. With a very cute set of characters, I was fully captivated by Bindi's story from page 1. A perfect read for young nature lovers.

Final verdict:
Easy to read and understand with very likable characters, I can't wait for my little one to be old enough to read this series. Croc Capers is book 7 but I'm already on the hunt for books 1-6 for my shelves.

Also, I absolutely loved the Animal Fact Files at the end of the book. I learned things about the saltwater crocodile, the palm cockatoo and the goanna that I never knew before. (ok, honestly, I had never even heard of a goanna before reading this book!)

Having grown up watching Steve Irwin, it warms my heart to see that his daughter's passion for nature and animals is just as great as his was.

A great book and what I can only assume is a great series for the young readers in your life.

Overall Rating:

5 / 5 Stars

Books in the Wildlife Adventures Series:
#1 Trouble at The Zoo
#2 Rescue!
#3 Bushfire!
#4 Camouflage
#5 A What of  a Time
#6 Roar!
#7 Croc Capers

Goodreads / IndieBound