Otto is a lumbering, sweet-natured elephant who can't forget his childhood chum Georgie, a smiley-faced chimpanzee who was abducted and shipped away from their forest home by the mysterious and sinister Man with the Wooden Nose. Accompanied by a wisecracking but protective parrot named Crackers, Otto decides to hop a plane and look for Georgie in America. But once they hit the wild streets of the concrete jungle, Otto and Crackers court trouble at every turn — even becoming unwittingly involved in the seedy alligator underworld dominating the city sewers. And little do these out-of-place out-oftowners realize that they, too, are being doggedly pursued across the city — by the local police! Will the authorities catch Otto and Crackers? Will Otto and Crackers find Georgie? Who is the Man with the Wooden Nose? And what's an elephant doing sporting a trenchcoat and fedora?
Not for every reader, but fans of comics reminiscent of simpler times will certainly enjoy this.
Bill Slavin brings his trademark humour and lively illustrations to this lighthearted romp.
Drawn in a colorful cartoon style, with plenty of corny jokes and visual gags, this is a gentle, humorous adventure that children should enjoy.
Otto the elephant just can’t stop thinking about his long-lost friend, George, a chimp who was snatched from the jungle by a mysterious man with a wooden nose. So Otto and his parrot pal, Crackers, set off for America in search of his childhood friend. From the moment they tumble out of the baggage-claim area at a big city airport, trouble seems to be all these two can find. Book One in the series.
Source: The Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Best Books for Kids & Teens. Fall, 2012.