IT'S CHRISTMAS!

A young rhinoceros named Otto prepares for Christmas with his family, getting into mischief by trying to make everything extra “Christmassy.”

In this fifth adventure about obstreperous Otto, he is excited to participate in all the Christmas preparations at his house. He enjoys baking cookies, decorating the tree, and creating his own special Christmas sweater. At every turn, Otto takes things over the top, adding more frosting and sprinkles to his cookies, putting extra ornaments on the tree, and making a reindeer face with extra-long antlers to attach to his sweater. After Otto knocks over the tree, his mom stations him at the window on a big pillow to watch for snow. The pillow rips open, covering everything in the room with tiny, white pellets, “snow” in Otto’s opinion. During the cleanup process, Otto switches the tags on the Christmas packages, leading to humorous mix-ups on Christmas morning. The presents are sorted out, and the whole family goes out into the snow so Otto can use his new sled. The simple plot has just the right amount of excitement, minor conflict, and satisfying resolution to appeal to younger preschoolers who are beginning to listen to longer stories. Large-format illustrations help create appealing personalities for the rhinoceros family, charming in their detailed Christmas sweaters.

An amusing story that captures the intensity of the Christmas season from a little one’s perspective.