Imagine That (Hoot & Olive Series #2)

by Jonathan D. Voss, Jonathan D. Voss (Illustrator)

Overview

Beloved characters Hoot and Olive return in this beautiful picture book from Jonathan D. Voss about imagination, rainy day adventures, and the spirit of friendship.

Olive is a little girl with a big, bright imagination. Hoot is her stuffed-animal owl…and her best friend. The two love adventures of all sorts. But on the rainiest of days, there is only one thing to do: stay inside and imagine a whole new world.

Just as they’re about to begin their adventure, Hoot makes a shocking discovery—his imagination is broken! Like the best of best friends, Olive comes up with some ideas to help him. But nothing is working: not the head unscrambler, the earmuffs, or the hypnosis. Just as the two are about to give up, Olive remembers the secret ingredient to imagination, and they give it one more try.

Fans of Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin, George and Martha, and Frog and Toad are certain to fall in love with the next adventure in the Hoot & Olive series, Imagine That.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250314550
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	07/16/2019
Series:	Hoot & Olive Series , #2
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,073,290
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jonathan D. Voss was a portrait artist and graphic designer before becoming a children's book creator. He is the author-illustrator of Brave and Enough for Two: A Hoot & Olive Story and the illustrator of Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh by Sally Walker. He lives in North Carolina with his family.

Editorial Reviews

"This tale of friendship and imagination will brighten any rainy day."—School Library Journal

Praise for Brave Enough for Two:

"Brave Enough for Two is an instant classic, as is its enduring message of friendship and pluck." —BookPage

"Find room for this kind and gentle friendship story...perfect for one-on-one and small group sharing." —School Library Journal

"[A] supportive story of friendship and taking chances, illustrated in burnished-toned compositions that take on a cinematic expansiveness." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

07/01/2019

PreS-Gr 2—What to do on a rainy day? In this second "Hoot & Olive" story, the young owl can't seem to summon his imagination when his friend suggests a pretend adventure. Convinced that it is either lost or broken, he struggles to regain it, but while Olive sees floods, giants, and fairies, Hoot can only see a puddle or an old shoe. A metal colander "unscrambler," hypnotism, standing on his head, and "perhaps, one or ten other somethings" are no help at all. "Why is it, when my imagination is the thing that's broken, it's my heart that hurts the most?" wonders Hoot. "'That's it!' shouts Olive. 'Should I try again?' asked Hoot. 'You should always try again…' " His wise friend explains that he must imagine with his heart. And sure enough, the pair finally, "… sailed to far-off places…built castles and tamed dragons…" The illustrations, rendered in watercolor with pen and ink and digitally added color, depict the waif-like girl and her somewhat bear-like feathered friend in a dark house with backgrounds that are alternately cluttered, stark or whimsical. VERDICT This tale of friendship and imagination will brighten any rainy day.—Barbara Auerbach, Cairo Public Library, NY

School Library Journal

2019-04-14
What to do when imagination fails on a rainy, indoor-play day?

That's the dilemma Olive faces when her best pal, stuffed-toy-owl Hoot, can't enter her flights of fancy when she wants to play pretend. Is Hoot's imagination lost, broken, jumbled, gone? Olive proposes inventive scenarios the pair can enact—their house floating away, a lurking giant, fairies in the cellar. She offers Hoot a colander (as an "antenna" to unscramble mixed signals) and poufy earmuffs (to prevent "leaks"). Nothing works. When a dejected Hoot mentions his heart hurts, there's an aha moment: Olive remembers one must use the heart to imagine. Hoot does, and an imaginative play day ensues. In an aw-shucks ending, Hoot suggests he and Olive imagine being friends forever. The premise positions literal-minded Hoot as "broken" and inferior, a troubling notion that the obscure assurance that imagination springs from the heart does not dispel. Furthermore, readers will recognize that Olive and Hoot are already besties, so they won't see the need for them to imagine continuing their friendship. Overall, the amusing, energetic pen-and-ink-and-watercolor illustrations fare better than the thin, unengaging text. Olive and Hoot are endearing, though Olive (who presents white) isn't very expressive. A variety of perspectives throughout and lots of white space focus readers' eyes on the protagonists.

One needn't imagine there are better books about using the imagination. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews