Otto and Todd Parr

I'll never forget when my son came home from school to tell me about this COOL guy who wrote books and drew the pictures himself. His teacher gave him some neat bookmarks and postcards with his drawings. His name was Todd Parr. That was about ten years ago, and we STILL read Todd Parr at our house! My daughter is 9 now, and has all of the Otto books, plus we have quite a few of his smaller books such as Things That Make You Feel Good, Things That Make You Feel Bad, Underwear Do's and Dont's.

I noticed that Todd's books are listed as "Baby to Kindergarten" in some places, and "Ages 4-8" in others. My daughter is 9 now, and we still read his books before bed when she reads aloud to me. The small books are easier to read for little ones, but all of his books are great for reading aloud. The pictures are bright and cheery. The writing is simple, and to the point. Here is a sample from Underwear Do's and Don'ts:

DO put your clean underwear away
DON'T Put it in the freezer

At our house we have never read a Todd Parr book without laughing out loud. The Otto books are my favorites. On the back covers they have a picture of Todd with his dog Bully. He writes:

This is me with my dog, Bully.
Doesn't he look like Otto?

At the end of each Otto book Todd and Bully leave a message for the reader on the last page and sign it "Love, Otto and Todd".

I can't imagine not having Todd Parr's books in our home. He's helped me make some wonderful reading memories for my children. If you haven't read his books, be sure to give them a try.

~Brenda

All of Todd Parr's Books are listed on Amazon.

This is Todd's official site with book information, news and fun. Coloring pages in PDF format plus an activity book you can print out. http://www.toddparr.com/fun/

Todd also has a personal website that has a lot of pictures of Bully. He also shares his love of Tacos! http://web.mac.com/toddworld/Site/Welcome.html