Bob & Otto · Picture books · Ages 4 to 8
The five Bob & Otto books, and every place to buy them.
The first three can be watched read aloud, right on this page: press play under the book. New read-alouds land on the VEN Method YouTube channel ↗.
Bob & Otto is a series of two-way picture books by Jesper K. Lassen, published by VEN Method. Read one forward and it's Bob's story. Turn it over and read the same pages back — the same words, the same pictures — and it's Otto's. Each book is one small misunderstanding between two best friends, and the moment it comes apart because somebody finally asks. All five are in paperback in English and in Spanish (Bob y Otto): buy direct, or find every store, country by country.
Every Bob & Otto book is rated 5 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
“You’re seeing both sides of the story figuratively, while reading it from both sides of the book literally.”
“It’s entertaining, educational, and genuinely different from other books we’ve read. A fantastic concept that I hope to see more of!”
▶ Watch the video review by Michelle Marcotte, Great Books for Kids (2:16)
Book 1 · Half a Sentence
En español: Media frase
A fence has gaps. A sentence has two halves. Bob hears his best friend through the fence — "Bob is not my friend" — and runs off with the half he heard. On the other side, Otto is finishing the sentence to a boy who is already gone. Opens and closes on the same line: You are my best friend.
“Otto learns to communicate more carefully, Bob learns to listen more carefully…”
Book 2 · The Laugh
En español: La risa
Yesterday, nobody. Today, you. One puddle, one jump, one splash. Otto laughs, and Bob, sitting in the water, says it like a fact: "You are laughing at me." He never asks. Then Otto sits down in the puddle beside him. Opens and closes on the same line: I like laughing with you.
“Such a fun and unique way to tell a story!”
Book 3 · Room for Three
En español: Sitio para tres
A rope has two ends. The middle was always for you. A new girl arrives at school. At recess Bob sees Otto with her and counts: two. Two is a pair, so he walks to the wall on his own. What he did not see was what Otto had been telling her all morning: "Bob is my best friend. You have to meet Bob." Opens and closes on the same line: There's always room for you.
“…both boys agree that there’s always room for friends.”
Book 4 · Goodnight, Otto
Back cover: Goodnight, Bob · En español: Buenas noches, Otto
Are you nearly asleep? Two boys in a tent, one seam between them, and a silence each of them reads as an answer. Bob thinks Otto's quiet means no. Otto stayed quiet because he wanted to hear Bob fall asleep. In the exact middle of the book, on both pages at once, they say the same thing: Sorry I didn't ask. The quietest book in the series.
“A meaningful lesson delivered in a fun and engaging way, without feeling like a lesson.”
Book 5 · In Otto's Shoes
Back cover: In Bob's Shoes · En español: En los zapatos de Otto
You can't tell from out there. Otto's new shoes hurt, and he keeps stopping to look down. Bob guesses — a stone? too small? — and cannot tell from out there. So halfway home they swap. Every page after the middle mirrors one before it with the shoes on the other boy's feet. Opens and closes on the same line: I like your shoes.
“…both boys learn to literally walk a mile in one another’s shoes.”
About the author and the publisher
Jesper K. Lassen has been on a stage since he was seven years old. He is a Danish mentalist — more than a thousand performances, and his own documentary series on Danish national television. He is the founder of VEN Method, a social-emotional learning company built on one idea: connection is something children can be taught. He wrote the Bob & Otto books so the youngest readers could practice the same thing on paper, with a grown-up: hear one side, turn the book over, hear the other, and ask.
Libraries and bookshops: the paperbacks are distributed through IngramSpark under the imprint VEN Method, in English and Spanish. Order by ISBN, or see where to buy, country by country. Free print-at-home mini books and classroom notes are at bobandotto.com. Company site: venmethod.com.