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Otto: A Palindrama

Author Jon Agee
Illustrated by Jon Agee
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Hardcover
$17.99 US
7"W x 9.31"H x 0.73"D   | 20 oz | 24 per carton
On sale Dec 28, 2021 | 144 Pages | 978-0-8037-4162-1
Age 9-12 years | Grades 4-7
Reading Level: Lexile AD | Fountas & Pinnell Q
This absurdly clever and funny graphic novel, told entirely in palindromes, is created by World Palindrome Champion Jon Agee, author of Go Hang a Salami! I'm a Lasagna Hog!

Otto is having a very palindramatic day. His pet, Pip, has gone missing, and his search for the dog leads him deeper and deeper into a strange and perplexing world--full of talking owls, stacks of cats, storms and mazes, boats and trains and automobiles . . . oh my! Everything seems to be the same backward and forward, and Pip isn't sure he'll ever find his way home to Mom and Pop. But you, reader, will enjoy his Oz-like journey thoroughly.
★ "The panjandrum of palindromes crafts and collects some 200 examples to drive a picaresque graphic tale that (of course!) ends where it began . . . A rare treat, backward and forward." —Kirkus, starred review

★ "Idiosyncratic-picture-book creator and consummate wordsmith Agee has crafted a surreal graphic novel . . . The book is immersive and impressively cogent . . . Simply put . . . WOW!" —Horn Book, starred review

"The concept fulfills its offbeat premise in sequences that gleefully underline the fun of a good palindrome, and the joy of finding wordplay wherever one looks—whether Otto’s visiting an art 'mueseum' ('Koons nook') or wandering through a cemetery ('Del was awled'), the results are supremely strange and funny." —Publishers Weekly

"Moving through various landscapes and offering endless details, Agee’s graphic novel is a feast for the eyes . . . Agee creates a sophisticated brand of wit and clever wordplay that will appeal to young humorists . . . Readers will be entranced by this dreamlike graphic novel that boasts a substantial collection of palindromes and an engaging visual narrative." —School Library Journal
Jon Agee is the beloved author and illustrator of many acclaimed picture books, including Terrific (a New York Times Best Illustrated Book), Milo’s Hat Trick (an ALA Notable Book), Little Santa (an ALA Notable Book and recipient of five starred reviews), and It's Only Stanley (a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book). He lives in San Francisco, California. Visit him online at jonagee.com. View titles by Jon Agee

About

This absurdly clever and funny graphic novel, told entirely in palindromes, is created by World Palindrome Champion Jon Agee, author of Go Hang a Salami! I'm a Lasagna Hog!

Otto is having a very palindramatic day. His pet, Pip, has gone missing, and his search for the dog leads him deeper and deeper into a strange and perplexing world--full of talking owls, stacks of cats, storms and mazes, boats and trains and automobiles . . . oh my! Everything seems to be the same backward and forward, and Pip isn't sure he'll ever find his way home to Mom and Pop. But you, reader, will enjoy his Oz-like journey thoroughly.

Praise

★ "The panjandrum of palindromes crafts and collects some 200 examples to drive a picaresque graphic tale that (of course!) ends where it began . . . A rare treat, backward and forward." —Kirkus, starred review

★ "Idiosyncratic-picture-book creator and consummate wordsmith Agee has crafted a surreal graphic novel . . . The book is immersive and impressively cogent . . . Simply put . . . WOW!" —Horn Book, starred review

"The concept fulfills its offbeat premise in sequences that gleefully underline the fun of a good palindrome, and the joy of finding wordplay wherever one looks—whether Otto’s visiting an art 'mueseum' ('Koons nook') or wandering through a cemetery ('Del was awled'), the results are supremely strange and funny." —Publishers Weekly

"Moving through various landscapes and offering endless details, Agee’s graphic novel is a feast for the eyes . . . Agee creates a sophisticated brand of wit and clever wordplay that will appeal to young humorists . . . Readers will be entranced by this dreamlike graphic novel that boasts a substantial collection of palindromes and an engaging visual narrative." —School Library Journal

Author

Jon Agee is the beloved author and illustrator of many acclaimed picture books, including Terrific (a New York Times Best Illustrated Book), Milo’s Hat Trick (an ALA Notable Book), Little Santa (an ALA Notable Book and recipient of five starred reviews), and It's Only Stanley (a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book). He lives in San Francisco, California. Visit him online at jonagee.com. View titles by Jon Agee