Author: Naseem Hrab
Illustrator: Kelly Collier
© Date: 2023
Publisher: Owlkids Books Inc.
Pages: 79
Chapters: Yes
Illustrations: Yes, graphic novel
Publisher Recommended Age: 6-10
Bonus Activities at End of Book: Yes, a baked potato recipe
Summary from Book: Everything feels sweeter with a true friend by your side.
When Otis is afraid to get a haircut, Peanut offers to get one first.
When Otis misses Pearl, Peanut misses her, too.
And when Otis’s house doesn’t feel quite like home, Otis and peanut find a way to make it one.
Whether they’re celebrating new shoes, bickering about baked potatoes, or exploring life’s big and little truths, this long-haired guinea pig and naked mole rat remain the best of friends.
With its lovable characters and whimsical humor, Otis & Peanut embraces the bittersweet and speaks to anyone who has ever wished tht the world had a few more round edges and soft spots to land.
Page Pig Thoughts: This one was an interesting read. Each chapter focuses on an issue at hand, not really giving any backstory to understand things better. For example, in chapter 2, Otis misses Pearl, but we never find out who she is or what happened to Pearl. Do we need to know the backstory? No, not really, the focus seems to be on friends working through things, but I couldn’t help but wonder.
I also couldn’t decide if Peanut was the best friend ever and a master of psychology to help his friend through issues, or a little self centered and sometimes hits on something comforting. For example, in chapter 3, Otis is painting his door green because he likes the color green. Peanut asks if Otis has considered painting the door yellow because Peanut likes yellow and will be knocking on the door a lot. He does decide that green has some yellow in it when Otis says that he loves green, but it still made me wonder about Peanut. That being said, I really loved the second chapter on the swing, Peanut’s conversation with Otis was beautiful.
Overall, I appreciated that Peanut helped Otis work through issues as they go about everyday life. We could all use a friend that will come visit us and make us feel better when we are struggling.
Family Unit: No mention of anyone. Otis lives by himself. No mention of anything about Peanut’s home life.
Conflict/Social Issues:
- Otis needs a haircut, but is afraid of it for various reasons.
- Otis really misses Pearl and is trying to swing to cheer himself up.
- Otis is trying to make his house feel like a home.
Positive Items:
- Peanut does a good job of listening to Otis and giving honest answers to comfort Otis.
- Peanut listens well to Otis as he reminisces about Pearl. Peanut joins in the memories. In the end, Peanut tells Otis that it is okay to feel two things at the same time, Otis can be happy and sad at the same time.
- Otis finds that his house feels like a home when he has a friend that will come knocking on his door.
Items of Interest:
- Peanut tries talking Otis through his haircut fears, even when Peanut admits that a haircut might itch, he offers to brush away the tiny hairs. Peanut decides that he wants to feel different, so he buys himself some new clothes. The new clothes make him feel different. Otis says Peanut looks so different that it feels like he has a new friend. Peanut says that maybe he needs a new friend too. This concerns Otis, so he decides to get a haircut to be Peanut’s new friend.
- Otis was swinging alone to cheer himself up. Otis misses Pearl, but there is no mention of what happened to Pearl (changing, moving, death, etc) or who Pearl was (relative, friend, etc). Otis says he has days that are more sad. Peanut asks what makes Otis miss Pearl, then reminisces about Pearl memories with Otis. Peanut tells Otis that it is okay to allow himself to just miss Pearl, and that it is okay to feel two things at the same time (happy and sad). Peanut and Otis hold hands and swing together.
- Otis is trying to make his house feel more like a home. Otis is painting the door his favorite color and planting flowers outside to make him happy. Peanut suggests painting the door his favorite color because he will be the one that sees it when he knocks on the door. Peanut suggests planting potatoes because Peanut loves eating potatoes. Green reminds Otis of Pearl and Marion helped plant lilacs, so the outside feels more like home. Peanut asks about inside. Otis says something feels like it is missing, so Peanut says they can look for the missing thing together. They discover that when Otis is inside and Peanut comes knocking on the door, the house feels more like home.