OTTO: THE STORY OF A MIRROR

Otto is bored with his job as a mirror who works at Topper’s Hat Store reflecting the customers as they try on hats. At night, Otto reads and secretly dreams of traveling the globe and reflecting the world’s wonders in person—most of all, the beautiful Roodle Tree. After Otto is punished for insulting the store’s best customer by acting like a funhouse mirror, he runs away. Cornered on top of a construction I-beam, Otto fears he will be smashed to smithereens, but a bird scoops him up and drops him into a rowboat. He drifts for days, right onto the Isle of Koodle, where the Roodle Tree stands. Lo and behold, he finds another mirror, this one named Miranda. Sharing the same dream, they sail off together to reflect many wonderful things. Decidedly quirky in both story and illustrations, this nevertheless has appeal. Kids will read it as straightforward adventure without questioning any underlying symbolism regarding reflections. They’ll root for bandy-legged Otto in his yellow-banded derby and giggle over the zany details in the soft-toned watercolor-and-ink drawings. (Picture book. 4-7)