I MISS YOU, LOVE OTIS

Author/illustrator Grieves offers a children’s tale of a dog remembering shared experiences with his absent owner.

Otis, who has the appearance of a French bulldog, spends every day with his “best friend”—his human owner, Grace. A calendar page for the month of April reflects their busy schedule and the joy they so obviously find in each other’s company—doing yoga, playing at the park, snuggling, reading, going on walks and picnics, and a host of other activities. Grace is clearly the center of Otis’ world, but, one day, she goes away, and the canine doesn’t know why. Desolate, he drifts around the empty house, missing the fun things that he and Grace would do together, including playing fetch, dancing, having bubble baths, and playing hide and seek. In the forlorn hope that Grace might be playing their hiding game, Otis noses his way into a tote bag: “you can come out now…” he thinks, dolefully. “waiting.…” However, Grace doesn’t show up; “i still miss you,” Otis concludes, staring out the window. Grieves narrates from Otis’ perspective, writing in a guileless, mostly unpunctuated lowercase, capturing the simple, unconditional devotion of pets. The text is effectively presented in stark black upon white spaces in two-page spreads. The cartoon illustrations’ color scheme favors soft-inked pastels, and the artwork has a watery aspect, as if to reflect the sadness that Otis is feeling. The repetition of the dog’s wistful phrase (“i miss…”) emphasizes just how much pets rely on their owners for company. Further lamentations—“it’s no fun without you,” “it’s lonely without you”—give the narrative a mourning quality, which is more poignant due to the fact that readers don’t know whether Grace is gone for good, or just temporarily. The former would be unbearably tragic, of course, but the latter is just as affecting, as it suggests that Otis must feel this way whenever his friend leaves home without him.

A heartrending insight into the inner lives of pets.