OTTO AND THE STORY TREE

A misanthropic bird finds a way to build community.

Curmudgeonly Otto goes about his day with a constant refrain of “Ack! What’s the point?” The storklike bird can’t be bothered to bathe, tidy his house, or even turn on a light. One day, a seed slips out of his hastily prepared dinner and settles on the floor. Instead of cleaning it up, he tells it a story about his life. The next morning, Otto discovers that the seed has become a sprout. Pulling it out of the ground feels like too much work, so he leaves it there. Every night, he gets into the habit of relating wild stories that he claims to have experienced firsthand: a hot air balloon ride through a terrifying storm, a battle with an evil queen. Before long, the tiny seed grows into a tree, which becomes home to a variety of animals all eager to listen to Otto’s magical tales. Smudgy mixed-media illustrations set an appropriately bleak tone initially, dominated by beiges and grays. Visible brush and pencil strokes nevertheless imbue Otto’s world with an intimacy that’s heightened as he’s joined by other animals and as Mildenberger introduces bright colors; this is a visually inspired celebration of how storytelling can expand our world. The book’s ending offers a clever callback to the book’s refrain.

A testament to the powerful draw of stories.