This one crossed my desk, and I usually can't take the time to read every interesting book I see, I couldn't resist this one. A story written all in palindromes! It's a graphic novel, much of it wordless, but each panel that does contain words contains a palindrome. Sometimes they cross over panels. Otto, the title character, goes on an imaginative adventure in a bowl of wonton soup -- too many adventures to list here (though the cave where he encounters Eva and Don, with Don asking, "Eva, can I spit q-tips in a cave?" is pretty great). My favourite part is where he finds himself in a graveyard, and the epitaphs are priceless: "So, Ida, Adios!" "Del was awled" (with a picture of an awl), "Deidre, woman on a mower, died". Eventually, Otto makes it home to Mom and Dad and his dog, Pip, and a bird that says "Peep." Totally brilliant. ( )

Very cute and unique! The whole story is told entirely in palindromes (spelled backward or forward the words will be the same), which makes the dialogue sound unnatural. But its creativity cancels that out. You can imagine the amount of time it took to find all these palindromes and create a story thread from the seemingly random words.

Overall, a fairly quick read with a fun gimmick.
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I admire the sheer audacity of the stunt Jon Agee is pulling here: a graphic novel written entirely in palindromes. I love the wordplay enough to offset the fact that 90% of the book is basically a dream sequence in order to cover the absurdity of what must happen to have many of the lines make any sort of sense.

I do wonder about how the main character enters this state over a bowl of soup. Is he hypnotized by the ripples? Is he having hallucinations triggered by a momentary seizure in his brain? Has mom accidentally served him her intended bowl of soup that has been spiked with an mega dose of "mother's little helper?" Will we get an answer? "No sir — away! A papaya war is on," responds the book. ( )

The story is written entirely in palindromic phrases and words, from short and simple (Otto) to mind-blowingly complex ("No one made killer apparel like Dame Noon"). Kids' jaws will drop at the creativity, and more than once they will check the palindromes backwards just to make sure. A wacky and humorous adventure. ( )

children's graphic fiction - for kids of all ages who enjoy graphics and wordplay. ( )