The Bright Side

by Chad Otis (Author) Chad Otis (Illustrator)

The Bright Side
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

This endearing picture book about making the most of any situation is also a heartfelt and meaningful portrait of houselessness that's just right for young children.

Sometimes it's hard to stay positive: when you live in an old school bus instead of a normal house; when you have mostly just bread and ketchup to eat; and especially when you have to go to a new school where all the other kids already have friends. But the sweet and creative boy in this story discovers that he can do things he never thought possible, by using the skills his parents have taught him: imagining . . . and trying . . . and finding a way to look on the bright side.

This honest, accessible, and compassionate story is based on the author's own childhood. Its message about resourcefulness and courage will resonate with every reader.

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Publishers Weekly

This story from Otis (A Little Ferry Tale), based, per the author's bio, in personal experience, opens with the young, pale-skinned narrator waving goodbye to friends, explaining, "We live in an old school bus now. At least until we can get a normal house again." Mom and Dad keep telling their child to "look on the bright side," but they'd prefer not to when the phrase means that one "gets" to do school on the bus, have "pizza toast" dinners made of white bread and ketchup, snuggle together when it's cold, and make their own toys. When the child eventually enters school, they quickly run afoul of classroom rules and find themselves friendless, but they also find that they possess imagination, resilience, and the power to define "the bright side" for themselves. And when a class pizza and movie party is canceled, they organize a shadow theater and cookout, forging new connections and underscoring the idea that "we can do just about anything... if we look on the bright side." Digitally enhanced, watercolor-textured pencil and ink drawings keep the mood relatively light throughout this reportorial, child's-eye view of changing circumstances and financial precarity. Ages 4-8. (Feb.)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes



Chad Otis
Chad Otis has a BFA in design from the University of Washington School of Art. He's been working with the likes of Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Disney Online for over twenty-five years as an animator, illustrator, and creative director. Chad lives in Boise, Idaho, and is also the illustrator of Cuddle Monkey and author-illustrator of A Little Ferry Tale.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780593530627
Lexile Measure
560
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Rocky Pond Books
Publication date
February 21, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV051000 - Juvenile Fiction | Imagination & Play
JUV039070 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Homelessness & Poverty
Library of Congress categories
Friendship
Picture books
Schools
Children's stories
School buses
Optimism
Homelessness
Optimism in children

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