MY BROTHER OTTO
By: Meg Raby
Illustrations by: Elisa Pallmer
Published: March 19, 2022
Publisher: Gibbs Smith
Fiction
Piper Crow has a brother named Otto. She and Otto like to play together. Otto likes to twirl. Piper likes to dance and play dress-up. Otto likes to wear yellow and gets upset if he can’t wear his favorite yellow sweatpants and yellow t-shirt.
Otto also loves to swing but doesn’t like to give other kids a turn. Otto uses his tablet to verbalize what he would like to eat. No surprise, it’s all yellow foods. When they go to storytime, the other kids don’t understand that Otto listens to the story a bit differently than they do.
Even though Otto does things differently than other crows, he loves his big sister, Piper and Piper loves him back. Because, really, Otto is just like all the other crows who “like to play, learn, have friends, and be loved.”
Even though it doesn’t exactly say that Otto is on the autism spectrum, you get the idea that he is particular about certain things. Kids that have a classmate or someone in their neighborhood on the spectrum might find this book helpful as a way to explain that all kids just want to play and have fun. This simple story shares a sweet sibling relationship of love and acceptance.
Meg Raby holds a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology with a certification in Autism Spectrum Disorders from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and has several years of experience working with children ages 2–to 17 on the autism spectrum. Meg recently started a booming handle on Instagram, called @bedtime.stories.forevermore, promoting literacy and highlighting only the best in children’s books. This is her first book.
Elisa Pallmer studied design at Escuela de Diseño del INBA and English Literature at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Her focus is on illustrations for children, and she lives in Mexico City.
Preorder the next in the series, MY BROTHER OTTO AND THE BIRTHDAY PARTY, publishing August 16, 2022.
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Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. If you choose to make a purchase through the above links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.
Posted Under Autism, Book Review, Children's books, Elisa Pallmer, fiction, Meg Raby, siblings