Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Mount Angel Public Library | E HARVEY | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Independence Public Library | J PICTURE BOOK - HARVEY | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Salem Main Library | JP Harvey | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
"Out of my way, Big Ears!" Otis is happily strolling in the park one day when a bully dog taunts him with this insult. Poor Otis is crushed. Defeated! Suddenly his ears seem much too large. And he doesn't know what to do about them. . . .
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-Poor Otis! There he was, a large cheerful dog with big floppy ears, happily strolling down the street when a mean dog comes along and calls him "Big Ears." This leads to a crisis of confidence during which some corrective "ear-do's" are considered, a box of "horrible peppermint cream" is consumed, and several nightmares disturb Otis's sleep. But Lucy, his best friend, saves the day. She loves him no matter what. In fact, she especially loves his "large, silky, fabulous ears." Told from the dog's point of view, this delightful story has a protagonist with an adorable face and a winning, although somewhat insecure personality. The illustrations reinforce his demeanor exactly and the scenes in which he experiments with different ear styles are filled with lots of visual humor, as he mimics the looks of several of Lucy's stuffed animals and dolls. Lucy is equally winning, a skinny young girl with flyaway braids who keeps a low profile until the end when she cuddles with him to declare her love-and save his feelings. A great choice for storytime.-Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Self-consciousness gets a shrewd appraisal in this tale of an insult, recounted by a white mutt with floppy brown ears. "I was walking home the other day/ when a large dog pushed into me and growled,/ `Out of my way, Big Ears!'/ Big Ears? I thought. Surely not./ But doubt crept into my mind." The anguished canine tries to glimpse himself in shop windows as his impatient owner tugs at his leash. At home, while the girl blithely reads a book, the hound folds and twists his ears in new styles and has nightmares of his ears filling up with wind and being tossed like a kite in a storm. Fortunately, "in the dead of night," his owner visits him and provides consolation: " `I love your large, silky, fabulous ears, Otis,' she whispered." The next day, the dog encounters the bully again, but his owner's pat on the head dispells his concerns. In gentle watercolors that complement the calm, retrospective voice, Harvey (Stormy Weather) matches the child's flyaway Pippi Longstocking braids to the pet's billowing ears. Like a best friend or a close family member, the girl understands the problem without having been told; her sincerity takes the sting out of a cruel remark, and the dog's internal monologue reflects a sense of humor as he slowly builds his confidence. Ages 3-6. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
When a bully calls Otis the dog Big Ears, Otis worries that his ears really are immense. Then his owner snuggles with him and says I love your large, silky, fabulous ears. Otis cheers up and the next time he meets the bully, he ignores his taunts. The soft watercolor illustrations are whimsical and engaging in this gentle story of self-acceptance. From HORN BOOK Fall 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Otis is a dog, but that doesn't mean he's immune to an insult hurled his way by a passing bully, a spike-collared boxer with a sneer on his mug. "Big Ears" is what the boxer calls Otis. Well, Otis does have biggish ears, and they seem to be growing by the instant as Otis gazes at them in the reflection of a store window. Otis's day is shattered. He doesn't want to play with his chums; he doesn't want to chase the neighborhood cats. By the time he gets home from his walk, he's in a swivet. What is he going to do about his terrible, monstrous ears? Roll them into curls? Twist them into a pile atop his head? Bury his head in the sand and never go outside again? He crawls into his bed, ready to bathe in his misery, when the girl who owns him comes to snuggle. She parks her head next to his, covers it with one of his ears, and whispers, "I love your large, silky, fabulous ears, Otis." The next day dawns bright and the structural damage done to Otis's self-image is a thing of the past. He sidles out the door, into the park, and when the boxer shouts "Fat Face!" at him, he shrugs it off: "I don't think so." Terrific-a dazzling combination of humorous, liquid writing and old-fashioned, tinted line drawings, certain to find a home with anyone who needs a shot of confidence-building. (Picture book. 3-6)
Booklist Review
Ages 4-6. This engaging picture-book lesson is narrated by a long-eared dog named Otis, who begins to doubt himself when a strange dog in the park calls him Big Ears. Harvey reflects the dog's feelings in his postures as well as his lack of interest in normal routines: he has trouble falling asleep, and nightmarish scenarios fill his thoughts. But in the dead of the night, his child-owner, Lucy, comes to his basket and utters the magic words--" I love your large, silky, fabulous ears," and she wraps one around her face. Otis' life returns to normal straightaway, and when the bully dog calls him Fat Face, Otis confidently walks on. Harvey tells her story simply, and her illustrations are filled with humor and poignancy. Otis will immediately become a dear friend. --Kathy Broderick