Eric Rohmann’s unusual and adventurous story is about a boy with a pumpkin for a head. Otho is much loved by parents who see nothing strange about this fact. The problem arises when a bird plucks his head for nesting, and then accidentally drops it in the ocean. Poor Otho. He’s swallowed by a fish, and later (having made a dramatic, cork-popping exit) caught by a fisherman—the oddest fish that man’s ever seen. A bright orange orb in the midst of the slivery display at the fish market, Otho captures the attention one very happy shopper—his mother! “Oh my little Otho! We thought we’d lost you forever.” Rohmann’s color-relief prints illustrating this story are a delight—little Otho is charming and wholly childlike, from the anxious look on his face when he’s lost, to the smile of joyful contentment when he’s found at last. The restrained color scheme—black, white, silver, blue, and of course orange—makes for a striking visual display accompanying a sweetly offbeat story. (Ages 4–7)

Otho was born with a pumpkin for a head. And despite what one might think, he was not seen as a curiosity by his family. So begins this brilliantly droll tale of a very unusual boy. Otho loses his pumpkin head–quite literally–when a bat decides it would make a good home. And despite what one might think, this is not the end for Otho, but the beginning of a great adventure. Is Otho’s story a parable? A cautionary tale? A celebration of the individual? A head trip? That is something each reader (and Otho) will have to decide. . . . .