About the Book
Inspired by the life of a real Alaskan brown bear named Otis, who rose to internet stardom during Fat Bear Week, this heartwarming picture book invites young readers to celebrate their differences and embrace their individuality.
Otis sleeps his deep and heavy sleep.
He dreams his Otis dreams.
And he’ll wake when he’s ready, in his own way, in his own time.
Why?
Because Otis knows.
While other bears emerge from their dens on the first spring morning, Otis is still sleeping. While other bears chase slippery salmon through the water, Otis catches them from his own special spot by the river. While other bears play and tussle, Otis naps.
Why? Because Otis knows something we can all get behind: the best way to be…is to be yourself, in your own time and in your own unique way.
About the Author :
Liz Garton Scanlon is the author of numerous celebrated picture books, including One Dark Bird; In the Canyon; Happy Birthday, Bunny!; the Caldecott Honor recipient All the World; Thank You, Garden; and The Family Tree. Liz is an adjunct professor of creative writing at Austin Community College, and her poetry has been published widely in literary journals. She lives with her family in Austin, Texas. Visit her at LizGartonScanlon.com.
Martha Brockenbrough is the author of more than twenty books for young readers, including YA fiction and nonfiction, picture books, a middle grade mystery, and a chapter book series. She founded National Grammar Day, and her work has been published in The New York Times. Martha lives in Seattle with her family. Visit her at NothingtoNovel.com.
Stephanie Laberis is a California-based artist and Rhode Island School of Design alumna. Her childhood spent in the woods of New England sparked her love for animals and the natural world and still inspires her artwork. She is the illustrator of many picture books, including All of Those Babies by Mylisa Larsen; Fur, Feather, Fin: All of Us Are Kin by Diane Lang; and the Grumpy Cat Little Golden Book series. When she’s not drawing, Steph volunteers at her local wildlife hospital or spends quality time with her beloved cats, rats, and mice. Visit her at StephLaberis.Squarespace.com.
Review :
In this playful ode to both snoozing and snacking, an old, slow bear named Otis faces the tremendous challenge of awakening from hibernation and eating enough to bulk up for next winter’s sleep. Scanlon and Brockenbrough’s prose is direct and intentional. . . Otis does things his own way; between meals, while other bears frolic, he rests, knowing that “what does matter is being a bear in his own way, in his own time.” When summer ends, he is enormous and glorious—“the heartiest, fattest of all.” Laberis’ illustrations celebrate nature with grace and humor—rabbits, moose, butterflies, bees, and half-consumed salmon abound. . . . An engaging, humorous tale cleverly grounded in natural realities.
Otis, a sleepy brown bear, is the star of this book that balances bear education with a playful tone. . . . With lyrical, inviting language that avoids esoteric scientific terms or anthropomorphism, Scanlon and Brockenbrough describe the status (hungry) and activities (eating) of the wakeful bears, returning after each spread to visit the still-sleeping underground Otis. Will Otis ever wake? Yes, but only after he has slept and snored and drooled in every charming position he can. By summer, Otis staggers from his den to watch other bears tussle, play, and fight over the best food. Otis, too old to bother with competition, employs his prodigious patience and waits, alone, for salmon to come to him. . . . Digitally rendered illustrations are colorful, cartoonish, and include scenic natural landscapes and pleasing details like rabbit burrows and seasonally accurate plant life. The bears are cute and expressive while remaining realistic. Back matter reveals Otis is based on a real-life elder bear of Katmai National Park in Alaska, who was crowned “fattest bear” of Fat Bear Week several times. . . . An appealing and entertaining introduction to brown bear life, perfect for fans of animal facts or anyone looking for a cozy seasonal story to share.
The authors set their lighthearted, unsentimental narrative in Alaska’s Katmai National Park (we learn in the back matter) as all the brown bears are emerging from hibernation. All, that is, except an elderly bear named Otis. Like all bears, Otis hibernates every winter, but he does so lengthily and with apparent gusto. . . . When he finally lumbers out of his den, weeks after the other bears, Otis appears “skinny and wobbly and old.” Never fear: his instincts take over as he begins systematically to remedy that situation. . . . A terrific blend of humor and information.
Kiddos, especially any fans of Fat Bear Week, will love sweet, funny Otis, and giggle at his sleeping form facedown in his own drool in his cave or zonked out on the riverbank, clueless he’s become the resting spot for a butterfly. Laberis’ digitally rendered illustrations have great variety in their layout. . . There’s fun here but also a sweet moral about doing things on your own timeline that will resonate with readers who move at a slightly slower pace. An author’s note provides more information about bear #480 at Katmai National Park & Preserve, which inspired the story, and hibernation.
Inspired by a real brown bear—a denizen of Alaska’s Katmai National Park & Preserve, and repeat Fat Bear Week champion—this sturdy picture book advocates industrial-strength patience and unflappable self-knowledge. After hibernating through the Alaskan winter, bears awaken with bellies like “hollow pockets, growling to be filled,” Scanlon and Brockenbrough write. The animals trudge to the river where salmon are running. . . while “other bears are younger. Faster. Stronger,” Otis doesn’t worry. Across digital drawings that resemble contemporary animation, Laberis portrays the bear as rakish, rumpled, and wise: he waits for the perfect spot, eats unhurriedly, and occasionally naps, knowing that “what does matter is being a bear in his own way, in his own time.” It’s an energy worth bearing in mind when the world demands keeping up.
