Otto and the Story Tree

Moody, loosely stroked multimedia spreads by Mildenberger (Comet Chaser), making a solo debut, show “cranky old bird” Otto with the long beak and white feathers stalking city streets in a black coat. He doesn’t bathe (“Ack! What’s the point?!”), won’t open windows (“Ack! What’s the point?!”), and fails to pick up a seed when it falls from his dinner bowl one evening. Instead, Otto speaks to it: “Oh, little seed.... I’ve seen some marvelous things in my day. I once found myself caught in a fierce storm during a hot-air balloon ride.” Objects from Otto’s stories lie scattered about, including the shoe-shaped basket that carried Otto beneath the hot-air balloon. Slowly, as Otto continues to spin stories of derring-do, the seed sprouts, becomes a sapling, and bursts through the roof, drawing creatures to its branches and to Otto’s tales. At last, in this offbeat fable, Otto finds himself surrounded by new, green life and camaraderie, all summoned through the power of storytelling. Ages 4–8. Agent: Anne Moore Armstrong, Bright Agency. (Apr.)