Otto's Backwards Day: Toon Books Level 3 - Hardcover

Frank Cammuso, who wrote and drew Otto’s adventure, is the author of the graphic novel series Knights of the Lunch Table, a middle school version of King Arthur and his knights. His forthcoming series is The Misadventures of Salem Hyde. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Village Voice and Slate.

Jay Lynch, also a cartoonist, has helped create some of Topps Chewing Gum’s most popular humor products, such as Wacky Packages and Garbage Pail Kids. Frank and Jay collaborated on the original TOON Book Otto's Orange Day, which School Library Journal named a "Best New Book" and described as "a page-turner that beginning readers will likely wear out from dangerously high levels of enjoyment."

Otto thinks presents are the most important part of a birthday, but his parents tell him he’s got it all backward. But wait! Who has stolen Otto’s birthday presents? As young readers join Otto on his cute quest in a cheery comic-book format, they have the opportunity to practice their reading skills and play word games that make use of rhymes, palindromes, and words spelled backward. The colors and drawings in this graphic novel are bright, appealing, and easily convey the emotions and actions of the characters, all of which assist emerging readers with comprehension and reduce the intimidation factor. Beginning readers may need assistance with understanding the backward text and dialogue at first, but once they grasp the key to Backwards World, they will have so much fun that they may try to incorporate its secret backward language into their nonreading time. Fortunately, it is through Otto’s entertaining and engaging adventures in Backwards World that both he and the reader discover the most important part of a birthday: family. Grades K-3. --Candice Mack