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Summary
Summary
"It has a terrific message about the importance of family and how to care for those you love. An excellent and timeless selection for all picture book shelves."--School Library Journal, STARRED Review
Otto the squirrel is perfectly content living by himself in his treehouse in the forest, when a small creature arrives on his doorstep. Otto invites the curious little Pio in, but soon Pio eats all the hazelnuts, takes up the entire bed, and just gets bigger and bigger! Frustrated at first, Otto comes to realize that his home is much happier with his new friend.
Award-winning author and illustrator Marianne Dubuc has written a heart-warming tale about finding friendship and family when it is expected least and needed most.
"This tender look at the value of taking care of each other quietly considers the meaning of home and family."--The Horn Book Magazine
Read our other award-winning books by Marianne Dubuc: Up the Mountain Path The Fish and the Cat
Author Notes
Marianne Dubuc is an award-winning author and illustrator of many picture books, including The Lion and the Bird, Up the Mountain Path, and Mr. Postmouse's Rounds. Her books have been translated into twenty-five languages. She lives in Montreal, where she joyfully divides her time between her artwork and her family.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this quiet story by Dubuc (Up the Mountain Path), the unidentified creature who appears in front of squirrel Otto's tree trunk dwelling isn't just uninvited, he's inconvenient. Otto feels compelled to look after the furry, pink-snouted Pio (he's named for the sound he most often makes), but Pio grows larger every day, pushing Otto out of his green hammock bed, then out of his house. Otto is ambivalent but ethical about Pio's arrival: "I am not your mommy," he tells the furry creature coolly. "Tomorrow we'll hang up posters. I'm sure your real mother is looking for you." Dubuc's gently colored spreads provide almost documentary-level detail-she draws all the leaves on Otto's tree, the tiny posters Otto plasters all over it, and the vegetables Pio chops up for soup. Slowly, Otto realizes that Pio is generous and helpful. And when Pio rescues him from a frightening predator, he decides that it might be worth making room to accommodate his new friend. Dubuc doesn't insist that readers warm right up to new or strange situations. It takes a long time, sometimes, for creatures to learn to love each other. Ages 5-8. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Squirrel Otto discovers a spiky ball; the small creature within declares Otto "MOMMY." "Pio" grows larger and larger (and thus more inconvenient as a roommate), but he also cooks, tidies up, and is good company. Full of funny details, the watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations move the plot along. This tender story about the value of taking care of each other also quietly considers the meanings of home and family. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Otto the red squirrel lives in the tallest tree in the forest. One morning he's surprised to find a prickly green ball outside his door, and even more surprised when it hatches a furry white creature that's convinced Otto is his mother. Thinking the real mother will return for her baby, Otto leaves the hatchling sitting on the branch until nightfall. When no one claims the creature, now called Pio for the sound he makes, Otto takes him in, prepared to find Pio's mom in the morning. Dubuc's soft watercolor-and-pencil illustrations unfold as individual scenes often two per page trace Otto's fruitless search and Pio's astonishing growth, which poses a whole new set of problems. Pio, who increasingly resembles a small yeti, steadily turns Otto's house into a home by cleaning, decorating, and making soup while Otto is away. These small acts are heartwarming for readers and Otto alike, effectively demonstrating how love and family can come in all shapes and sizes. Pair with Simon James' Rex (2016) or Liz Wong's The Goose Egg (2019).--Julia Smith Copyright 2019 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-A family tale that teaches children how love makes a home. When Otto the squirrel finds a small furry creature named Pio, he shelters him while searching for Pio's origins. As the search goes on Otto comes to love his new hazelnut-eating, soup-making, caring child. Eventually Pio becomes too big for Otto's treetop house and Otto becomes upset and leaves, but Pio follows and helps Otto realize that they are a family and that maybe some big problems are not actually that big. Dubuc has created a simple and beautiful story that is perfectly matched with her intricate illustrations. The colors are soft and bright, giving readers a warm fuzzy feeling as they travel through the story. Each illustration reveals small details of Otto and Pio's individual personalities, but also their growing familial relationship. The entire book is clean and simple, not too difficult to follow, and explains an often-complex relationship in the best way possible. This engaging read-aloud will warm children's hearts. It has a terrific message about the importance of family and how to care for those you love. VERDICT An excellent and timeless selection for all picture book shelves. -Margaret -Kennelly, iSchool at Urbana-Champaign, IL © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In this French-Canadian import, when a mysterious pod appears on the branch outside his home, a squirrel must decide the limits of his responsibility for the creature within.At first, Otto steps over the sphere. Even when it hatches and a white fur ball calls him "Mommy," the homeowner rushes inside: "Otto wasn't curious, but he was cautious." Eventually relenting, he offers the baby a spot in his hammock. Each day, the critter grows at an alarming rate, eating hazelnuts, occupying more sleeping space, and inadvertently breaking furniture. All the while, the bushy-tailed protagonist searches for the mother, to no avail. Conflicted, but cramped, Otto stomps off, ignoring his own advice to be watchful of the eagle. In the nick of time, he is rescued from menacing talons, and Otto decides that renovations to expand his property are in order. Convincing dialogue provides the emotional arc, while Dubuc's pencil-and-watercolor scenes depict the cozy woodland life that animal lovers fantasize about. Close-ups reveal curtains at the home's window and a lantern illuminating the entrance; Pio, as the creature calls himself, prepares a soothing vegetable stew and strings colorful yard decorations to please his hardworking host. Longer views show the bulk of the tree and the starlit sky beyond. The pacing and feelings ring true in this heartwarming depiction of someone accustomed to being the center of his universe but who responds to the impulse of hospitality and friendship. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
