Otis & Sydney and the Best Birthday Ever

Otis and Sydney are the best of friends. This year, Otis wants to do something special for Sydneys birthday. So he decides to throw a surprise party and invite all their friends. He mails the invitations, decorates the house, and bakes a cake, but when things dont go as planned, how will Otis make sure that Sydney has the best birthday ever?

 

A sweet and tender tale by the New York Times #1 bestselling author of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and the Jellybeans series, Otis & Sydney and the Best Birthday Ever introduces young readers to two lovable bears who understand that friendship is the only thing needed to make any day special.

"Andreasen's digitally colored pen-and-ink drawings nearly jump off the page, maximizing the similarities between the two unabashedly adorable bears and frequently arranging themselves in paneled vignettes whose balance further reinforces the harmony between the two—just right for this simple story of friendship for the very young." —Kirkus Reviews 

"Books dont come much cozier or any less threatening than this." -Booklist

"This banal paean to friendship introduces two good-natured, nearly indistinguishable bears who enjoy doing everything together. Andreasen's (The Treasure Bath) digitally colored pen and ink art echoes the old-fashioned tenor of Numeroff's (the If You Give a... series) story; strong hatching for shading and texture leads the eye and gives the bears' fur a dapper, well-groomed quality. In muted tones, the illustrations show the ever-smiling Otis and Sydney playing accordion and harmonica, engaging in tug-of-war, and embracing while jumping a trampoline. Otis decides to throw Sydney a surprise birthday party and diligently makes the preparations. When no one shows up, Otis realizes he put the wrong date on the invitations, but he and Sydney have a grand time by themselves--and get to share an entire cake. Despite the date mixup, Sydney reassures his friend that this was his best birthday ever, because 'I got to spend it with you.' The honeyed story never strays far from its warm and fuzzy core: the emotional highs are none too lofty, and the lows, if they can be called such, resolved instantly. Ages 3 — 7. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright PWyxz LLC)

Laura Numeroff is the New York Times bestselling author of When Sheep Sleep, the Jellybeans books, and Would I Trade My Parents? She lives in Los Angeles, California.

 

Dan Andreasen is the author and illustrator of The Giant of Seville and the illustrator of Sailor Boy Jig and many other books. He lives in Medina, Ohio.