Big City Otto (Elephants Never Forget, #1) (2024)

I enjoyed the quick-paced story and the thought the illustrations were amazing. It you take this story for what it is, a story, it’s a wonderful adventure and kids will think so too but if you have to analyze, you’ll probably be able to find a few things wrong with it, so just enjoy it. It reminds me of some of the comics I used to read when I was younger.

Otto, the elephant misses his chum, Georgie. Georgie, (a monkey) was taken out of the jungle by the man with a wooden nose and Otto, like most elephants never forgot anything about the whole ordeal. Crackers, (parrot) his friend, helps Otto remember what happened that day and the two friends set off to try to find Georgie in America.

Aboard the metal bird (airplane), after being wrapped as a special and oversized package, the two land in America and begin their hunt. Sure, they get some attention but it seems that spotting an elephant and a parrot on the streets, of a big city in America, is not that unusual. The big question is, will they be able to find Georgie amongst all these people?

It was the adventure that these two friends had trying to locate Georgie that made this book so enjoyable. Otto’s size caused quite a few crashes and their lack of understanding was humorous to me yet others didn’t see it that way. Their love for one another was felt as they watched out for one another throughout their trip and they tried to fit in to their new surroundings, the best that they could. I loved how Crackers pushed and pushed to squeeze Otto into some of the smallest places for an elephant and I thought Otto’s allergy was extreme but I can see how kids would love it and laugh as the final scenes of this book processed.

This was a fun and entertaining graphic novel designed for children. Filled with interesting and humorous characters, I think young kids will enjoy this book. If you’re ready for some childish, make-believe fun, pick this book up and be ready for anything.

Story: 3 stars
Art: 4 stars

An elephant and a parrot leave the jungle of Africa to search for their friend, a chimpanzee, who was captured and taken to America. The elephant is young and naive while the parrot is more worldly and serves as an advisor. Still, the pair manage to stumble into a lot of mishaps.

This first graphic novel in the Elephants Never Forget series doesn't have a complete story arc; you have to continue reading the series to see whether or not the friend is ever found. Since there is no resolution to the major dramatic question, the conclusion does not feel satisfactory to me.

Boy, The Man With the Yellow Hat just lost all credibility, didn't he? Time was that Curious George snatcher could nab the jungle beast of his choice, slap his hands together, and call it a day. These days, though, readers don't take too kindly to fellows who go about grabbing the next spare primate they set their sights on. Various children's authors have dealt with him one way or another (Furious George Goes Bananas by Michael Rex comes most immediately to mind). Big City Otto takes the idea from an entirely different bent. What if George left a friend behind? And what if that friend was an elephant? The result is something along the lines of Babar by way of Mowgli setting off on a mission to rescue Curious George. With a parrot sidekick. Can't believe I almost forgot the parrot sidekick.

Otto the elephant is depressed. No two ways about it. You'd be pretty depressed too, mind you, if your best buddy and practically step-brother, Georgie, was up and kidnapped by some crazed man with a wooden nose and a sack. After sighing and crying over his friend's disappearance, Crackers the parrot convinces Otto participate in a kind of a crazy scheme. Clearly Georgie was kidnapped and taken to America so all they'll have to do is go to the U.S., find him, and rescue him. Trouble is, it's not that simple. There's the getting there from Africa part (extra large cargo, anyone?), finding friendly folks who can help out, interviewing zoo animals, and more. But when Otto and Crackers fall in with a pack of crocodiles with ulterior motives, locating one little monkey is the least of their problems.

In his little bio attached to this book author/illustrator Bill Slavin says he is in "Millbrook, Ontario, surrounded by his well worn Asterix collection." The Asterix influence is indeed felt in this work. Not so much the artistic style, mind you, but definitely the pace. Never lagging, always upbeat, "Otto" makes for a quick read. And really, it was the art that attracted me to this book in the first place. Slavin's style manages to encompass all kinds of settings and characters with ease. It can't be simple to try to replicate the big city's feel. You'd end up drawing sheer amounts of people more than anything else. But Slavin paces himself, and the reader could be forgiven for concentrating primarily on Otto anyway. He's a big lovable lummox. One that's hard to look away from.

Of course the time period is a bit of a mystery. As I see it, there are two possible reasons why this book appears to be set in 1993. Reason #1: Slavin originally wrote the book in that year and saw little reason to update it to the current day. Reason #2: He just really really likes that time period. That's why you see two Dennis Franz & Jimmy Smits lookalikes, complete with archaic computers, acting like pachyderm-obsessed Inspector Javerts. Or why you have an alligator dressed like Flavor Flav blasting hip-hop (aww... remember hip-hop?). Sure there might be a mention of email once in a while, but for the most part we're practically in historical fiction territory here.

By the way, I should warn you that for all that we're dealing with a quest novel of a sort, Otto doesn't actually locate Georgie by the story's end. Indeed, kids hoping for a happy reunion should be advised that in spite of the fact that there isn't a gigantic "1" emblazoned on its spine, Big City Otto is just the first in a series. I've no doubt that kids who reach the end of this book and find, to their horror, that Georgie is still AWOL will start clamoring about your ankles, insisting that you get them the next installment. Consider this a quest novel for those readers still a bit too young for Bone and Amulet.

For ages 8-11

I don't know how I feel about this graphic novel. Otto is such a sad, sad elephant. He misses his best friend Georgie, who's been chimp-napped. Perhaps it's because of my current setting and the students I work with, but that's serious stuff, and telling it in animal perspective is not going to make it any less heavy. There is a little bit of humor sprinkled in throughout the book, most notably Otto using a port-o-potty and ending up being lifted on top of a building (which again, although it's funny is also scary!). Otto and his parrot friend Crackers (a truly unfortunate name) go on a quest to find Georgie and run into all sorts of trouble, even getting involved in a candy store robbery. Gosh, what is wrong with this book?! Personally, it was appalling to me, but I know students who will pick it up and love it because it doesn't simplify the world for them, and it tells it like it is. If it wasn't for the conversation Otto had with the gators who mistreated him and tricked him into doing illegal things, I may have sent this book back to Follett. In a way, it's like street lit for kids, and I think they'll appreciate it. I think.

Slavin, Bill Elephants Never Forget (Big Star Otto #3) 95 pgs Kids Can Press, 2015. $17.00 Content: Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G Violence: G GRAPHIC NOVEL

Otto the elephant and his best friend Crackers the Parrot have made it to Hollywood where they hope to find their other best friend George the chimpanzee. But they quickly get caught up in a tug a war between the film studios and the animal’s rights activists. To top it off when they finally find George, he has changed for the worst.

I reviewed the first book in this series and vehemently did not care for it. This one is not quite as bad (for example it didn’t make fun of historical figures that it shouldn’t) but I still wouldn’t add it to my library because I wouldn’t touch the first book in the series with a 10 foot pole and this is the conclusion. Besides its just too dated all around, the art style, the language, and pretty much all of the references. The artwork is bright and the plot is fast paced, featuring a ton of slapstick comedy.

EL –NO Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2016/...

This is a graphic novel written for kids, but definitely contains humor that adults will enjoy and appreciate (if you look closely you just might see Sipowicz and Simone from NYPD Blue).

Otto is an elephant living in a jungle mourning over the loss of his best childhood friend Georgie, a chimp. He decides to go in search of Georgie with the help of a parrot, Crackers. This is an unbelievable story that asks the reader to put aside reality and just enjoy the story as it unfolds. The humans apparently has no qualms with the fact that an elephant and parrot are traveling all over New York City taking cabs and flying in airplanes. Putting aside that aspect of the book, it's quite funny and is a bit of a mysterious read. Reluctant readers and fans of graphic novels are sure to enjoy this.

The artwork was good enough to bring this up to a third star by rounding off, but just barely. The story came across as a blend of Babar and Pogo, which is a tough mix to pull off. Bill Slavin sometimes managed it, but not always. The artwork was so remarkably goofy that it got the story past some of its rough parts...like Otto eating a case of prunes, with an almost predictable result. Almost, only because the site of the outhouse provided extra humor.
My problem with the story is that I was unsure of the intended audience. It looked like it was written for about grades 3-5, but some of the humor didn't match that very well.
I really do think that kids will like the artwork, though.

Otto the Elephant can't forget his childhood friend, Georgie the chimp, who was stolen from the jungle by The Man With the Wooden Nose. Crackers, the parrot, and Otto set out to find Georgie. They manage to get on a plane as excess baggage, get to America, and begin to search for Georgie. They wind up involved with some shady 'gators in the underground (literally). They bust up the mob, get some clues about Georgie, and set off for the Bayou to find him.

This is book one of a series that might need to be read in order.

Elephant Otto and his friend Crackers (a parrot, of course) leave the jungles of Africa for the concrete jungles of New York City to find the long-lost chimp Georgie. Kids will love the crazy antics and slapstick humor as the two friends try to navigate a very unfamiliar landscape. Full of action, adventure, and memorable animal characters; I loved the alligator's rap music: "Yo, I'm a mean instigata. I'm a bad alligata."

And---as I’m writing this review a mom came up to the desk and snagged my copy for her 7-year-old. Yay!

This was trying really hard to be a cute story, but a lot of it just didn't make sense to me. Animals and humans apparently live side-by-side and can communicate easily here, but everything is built for human use. This provided a running joke as Otto tries to navigate the city, but it quickly got old for me. Also, the alligator crime gang exhibited many harmful stereotypes usually attributed to black people, which I frankly found offensive. Otto as a character is pretty dim and not interesting to follow. Overall, little to recommend.

Elephants Never Forget is the first graphic novel in this charming trilogy that has Otto searching the big city for his childhood friend, a chimpanzee named Georgie. With the help of a wise-cracking parrot named Crackers, they leave a trail of unwitting crime behind them. This graphic novels is full of laughs, tongue-in-cheek humor and friendship. Will be enjoyed by readers 8 to 12.

Otto misses his best friend, Georgie, who was stolen from the African jungle. So, Otto and his companion, Crackers, set out to find Georgie. The pair travels from Africa to America and meet up with some shady characters to help them search for Georgie. Will they find their friend? Will they succumb to the lures of the criminal world?

I think graphic novels may be my new best friend. Big City Otto is just a good old fashioned fun story about an elephant who heads to the big city in search of a long lost friend. His companion ~ a parrot, of course. Loved the cameo by some of New York's finest detectives.

I'd give this two and a half stars, so I rounded up.

An amusing, action-packed adventure.

This was really cute and very sweet. Otto and Crackers are hilarious too!

Such a cute start to a great series starring a loveable elephant and his sidekick bird! <3

Tedious, though one does get the sense that it's having fun with itself.

I like fantasy more than this. It was a quick read. I liked the illustrations more than the story. If you like quick comics with fun pictures you’ll like this.

250L

I think this book is great even the bad guys and good guys .

Dexter (9yo) read.