School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Otis and Sydney are two adorable bears who are best friends. It is Sydney's birthday and Otis throws a special surprise party inviting all of their friends. When no one shows up, Otis realizes that he wrote the wrong date on the invitations. Otis hides and surprises his friend anyway, and they spend the afternoon playing games and eating the large cake as planned. Saddened that he ruined his friend's birthday, Otis admits his mistake and Sydney reassures him that he had the best birthday ever because they spent it together. Numeroff's concise sentences create a smooth read-aloud that may also appeal to emerging readers. Muted digital, pen-and-ink illustrations help to define difficult vocabulary such as "accordion" and "harmonica" while evoking cuddly warmth in the bears' big, smiling faces. There are a number of picture books about friendship and birthday parties, including David McPhail's Big Brown Bear's Birthday Surprise (Harcourt, 2007), but this one does it with an old-fashioned innocence just right for little listeners.-Kristine M. Casper, Huntington Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
This banal paean to friendship introduces two good-natured, nearly indistinguishable bears who enjoy doing everything together. Andreasen's (The Treasure Bath) digitally colored pen and ink art echoes the old-fashioned tenor of Numeroff's (the If You Give a... series) story; strong hatching for shading and texture leads the eye and gives the bears' fur a dapper, well-groomed quality. In muted tones, the illustrations show the ever-smiling Otis and Sydney playing accordion and harmonica, engaging in tug-of-war, and embracing while jumping a trampoline. Otis decides to throw Sydney a surprise birthday party and diligently makes the preparations. When no one shows up, Otis realizes he put the wrong date on the invitations, but he and Sydney have a grand time by themselves-and get to share an entire cake. Despite the date mixup, Sydney reassures his friend that this was his best birthday ever, because "I got to spend it with you." The honeyed story never strays far from its warm and fuzzy core: the emotional highs are none too lofty, and the lows, if they can be called such, resolved instantly. Ages 3-7. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
