Otis

My son and I have discovered a new favorite picture book: Otis by Loren Long. Otis is a tractor who befriends a lonely, young calf who is missing his mother. Otis' gentle "putt puff puttedy puff" soothes the scared calf, and they become inseparable--from frolicking in the fields to playing Ring Around the Rosie. When the farm acquires a big, new, shiny, yellow tractor Otis is moved out of the barn to become overgrown with weeds. The book has a feel of a book from the past, with scenes reminding me of The Story of Ferdinand, and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, but the message of friendship and loyalty are timeless.