It occurred to me the other night as I opened up Otto Grows Down, illustrated by Scott Magoon and written by Michael Sussman, to read it for the hundredth time or so, that the opening illustration is perfect. The first illustration is on the endpapers so the instant you open the book, there is baby Anna, bigger than life-size, mouth wide open, wailing.
When that picture stares you in the face, you can feel it. The way Otto feels about his baby sister. She's loud and annoying and taking over everything. It sets up the book perfectly. It gets you ready to symphathize with Otto and the problem of his baby sister being born. It's picture perfection.
I totally agree, Heather. Scott did an amazing job on the illustrations, and the endpapers are wonderful. The last one, showing Otto & Anna gazing lovingly at each other, ends the story on the perfect note.
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