Otis has been pretty popular so it’s available at the library, or you may have bought it, but we received this one in a rather unique manner. A friend of ours gave it to us because she had two copies. They already had a hardcover copy when they received the paperback copy as part of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Program.
Dolly Parton set up the Imagination Library program to
foster a love of books in preschool children and make sure children of any
income could have access to high quality books. In communities that have
partnered with her, children under the age of 5 receive one free book per
month. Marion, Indiana is one community that has partnered with her, but there
are more than 1600 communities around the world that provide books to over
700,000 children every month. Independent evaluations are showing a huge
improvement in literacy in those counties. I love this book because I love this
program.
About the author:
Loren was raised in Lexington, Kentucky and went to UK. Go
Cats! He is an author AND illustrator, with a graduate degree in graphic
design. His illustrated “The Little Engine that Could” is a New York Times
Bestseller. He has a companion book to Otis (called “Otis and the Tornado”)
which will be in book stores on September 6th. Look for it, and don't forget, if you want to help books survive, you can promote them yourself.
Kid Discussion Questions/Activities:
1. What animals are you friends with?
2. Would you rather be friends with a cow or a tractor? Why?
My nephew LOVED this book! Thanks for such an awesome recommendation! Sometimes finding quality books that will hold the attention of an active two-year old is challenging but this did the trick. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you liked it, Annie! Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteStopping by from the Kit Lit hop - this is a favorite in our house, too! :)
ReplyDeleteAng, thank you for checking us out! How fun is the kid lit hop? She may have done that before and I've just not seen it, but it's by far my favorite link-up.
ReplyDeleteIt's our first time Kendall! Your excitement about it is making all of us excited! Thanks so much for joining in. :D
DeleteHi, Kendall, from the Kid Lit Blog Hop! This is actually the first Kid Lit Hop Renee has done, she said. I love it too! I hadn't heard of the Dolly Parton project, which surprises me because my husband is from Marion, Ind.
ReplyDelete"Otis" sounds like a really cute book. My toddler could use some gentleness with animals, too :) I'll put it on our list for the library!
Hi! The program didn't start until 1996 but I'm not sure what year it started specifically in Marion. I meant to link to the website in this post,but here is more information about the program: http://www.imaginationlibrary.com/. You can apparently work to partner with her program for your current city!
DeleteI'll be over to your blog, too. I hope you like "Otis"!
I see Jaymie already commented about the Blog Hop! Anyways, I had no idea that Dolly Parton had such a program. That is an incredible number of books. And, she partners with communities in Canada so I'm pretty excited. I'll have to check the details on how it works, but I'd love for our school to be involved. Thanks so much for linking in to the Hop Kendall and I'm so glad we've connected. That's what it's all about! I'm following you via email and FB now. Cheers,
ReplyDeleteRenee
http://motherdaughterbookreviews.com
I think it takes some time and commitment to lobby for your city, but it's certainly worth it. I think I've got all of your blogs in my feed now, as well. I'll look forward to getting to know you all a little more through your writing!
DeleteThat is awesome that Dolly is doing such a great program. I am going to contact her, and see about including my book. Your book seems a wonderful way for kids to connect gently to animals. That is so important! Thanks for linking in to the Kid Lit Blog Hop!
ReplyDelete