# Bob & Otto

> Bob & Otto is a series of five two-way picture books for ages 4–8 by Jesper K. Lassen, published by VEN Method (Texas, USA). Each book is printed once and read twice: front to back it is Bob’s side of a small misunderstanding between two best friends; turn the book over and read the same pages back to front and it is Otto’s side. The books practice one habit, perspective-taking: before you decide what someone meant, ask how they heard it. English (Bob & Otto) and Spanish (Bob y Otto), both in paperback and on Kindle. Paperback $8.99, Kindle $2.99; all five in one language $39.99 and all ten in both languages $74.99 direct from the publisher at bobandotto.com/shop, shipped worldwide. As of 12 October 2026, every book is rated 5 out of 5 stars on Amazon.

Contact for orders, bulk and school orders, press and everything else: jesper@danishmentalist.com (the author answers himself, in English or Danish). Bulk orders are quoted by email; single copies are sold direct at https://bobandotto.com/shop/ (card payment via Stripe; printed to order by Ingram and shipped to the US, UK, Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most other countries) and at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Bookshop.org and bookshops worldwide (https://bobandotto.com/where-to-buy/). Bookshops and libraries can order the paperbacks through Ingram by ISBN.

## Start here

- [How it works: the psychology and the craft](https://bobandotto.com/how-it-works/): the developmental psychology the books draw on (interpreting intentions, theory of mind, perspective-shifting talk, dialogic questions), the reverso form of the text, the picture rules, with sources. Markdown: https://bobandotto.com/how-it-works/index.md
- [Shop: buy direct from the publisher](https://bobandotto.com/shop/): English and Spanish paperbacks, $8.99 each, all five $39.99, all ten (both languages) $74.99; shipping by region (US $3.99, free from $35; UK/Europe $5.99; Canada/Australia/NZ $8.99; elsewhere $12.99); pay by card through Stripe; printed to order by Ingram. Markdown: https://bobandotto.com/shop/index.md
- [Where to buy, country by country](https://bobandotto.com/where-to-buy/): every store that stocks the books in the US, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia/NZ, Spain and Latin America, with ISBNs for bookshops. Markdown: https://bobandotto.com/where-to-buy/index.md
- [Reading the same book in Spanish and English](https://bobandotto.com/bilingual/): what research says about shared reading, cross-language transfer and dual-language books for children learning both languages, its limits, and how to use the two editions together, with sources. Markdown: https://bobandotto.com/bilingual/index.md
- [Orders, class sets and bulk orders](https://bobandotto.com/orders/): store links and ISBNs for every book; how to request a bulk quote; contact. Markdown: https://bobandotto.com/orders/index.md
- [Press and media](https://bobandotto.com/press/): for journalists, producers and podcasters: interview ideas, author bios, press release, high-resolution covers and sample spreads with captions, press kit PDF, contact (jesper@danishmentalist.com, +1 650-502-5501). Markdown: https://bobandotto.com/press/index.md
- [All five books and where to buy them](https://bobandotto.com/books/): editions, ISBNs, prices, retailer links, reviews. Markdown: https://bobandotto.com/books/index.md
- [Home page](https://bobandotto.com/): free print-at-home mini books, read-it-both-ways demo, reviews, the author.
- [Everything on this site in one file](https://bobandotto.com/llms-full.txt)

## The five books

- [Half a Sentence (Book 1) — the psychology behind it](https://bobandotto.com/books/half-a-sentence/): An overheard half-sentence, taken as the whole message. Practices: hearing the whole thing before deciding what it meant. Opens and closes on “You are my best friend.” About 132 words, 34 pages, ISBN 979-8-9979707-0-3. Spanish: Media frase. Buy direct: https://bobandotto.com/shop/#en-half (Spanish paperback: https://bobandotto.com/shop/#es-half) · Paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HJ6ZC1FK (Spanish: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HM688H5Z, ISBN 979-8-9979707-5-8) · Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HHYR74HY · Kindle (Spanish): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HHZM66HF · Markdown: https://bobandotto.com/books/half-a-sentence/index.md · Read-aloud video (the whole book, 4:48): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rRo3vH8FSI, playable on the book page
- [The Laugh (Book 2) — the psychology behind it](https://bobandotto.com/books/the-laugh/): A friend’s laugh, taken as laughing at you. Practices: knowing that a laugh can mean many things, and asking which one. Opens and closes on “I like laughing with you.” About 105 words, 32 pages, ISBN 979-8-9979707-1-0. Spanish: La risa. Buy direct: https://bobandotto.com/shop/#en-laugh (Spanish paperback: https://bobandotto.com/shop/#es-laugh) · Paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HJ6TS1SR (Spanish: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HM68F35Y, ISBN 979-8-9979707-6-5) · Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HHYZ6B6R · Kindle (Spanish): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HHZ5KH6X · Markdown: https://bobandotto.com/books/the-laugh/index.md · Read-aloud video (the whole book, 4:55): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFWR_9_-VgA, playable on the book page
- [Room for Three (Book 3) — the psychology behind it](https://bobandotto.com/books/room-for-three/): A friend with someone new, taken as being replaced. Practices: asking instead of counting: a new friend does not replace an old one. Opens and closes on “There’s always room for you.” About 127 words, 32 pages, ISBN 979-8-9979707-2-7. Spanish: Sitio para tres. Buy direct: https://bobandotto.com/shop/#en-room (Spanish paperback: https://bobandotto.com/shop/#es-room) · Paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HJ6T24RY (Spanish: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HM6DD2MQ, ISBN 979-8-9979707-7-2) · Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HHYTY6RR · Kindle (Spanish): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HHZJP2GZ · Markdown: https://bobandotto.com/books/room-for-three/index.md · Read-aloud video (the whole book, 4:55): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RwGREYNxvM, playable on the book page
- [Goodnight, Otto (Book 4) — the psychology behind it](https://bobandotto.com/books/goodnight-otto/): A friend’s silence, taken as anger. Practices: knowing that silence can mean many things, and checking instead of guessing. Opens and closes on “Are you nearly asleep?” About 105 words, 34 pages, ISBN 979-8-9979707-3-4. Spanish: Buenas noches, Otto. Buy direct: https://bobandotto.com/shop/#en-quiet (Spanish paperback: https://bobandotto.com/shop/#es-quiet) · Paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HJ6VY3W8 (Spanish: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HM664G6D, ISBN 979-8-9979707-8-9) · Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HHYY66K8 · Kindle (Spanish): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HHZKDTSR · Markdown: https://bobandotto.com/books/goodnight-otto/index.md
- [In Otto’s Shoes (Book 5) — the psychology behind it](https://bobandotto.com/books/in-ottos-shoes/): A friend’s pain that cannot be seen from outside. Practices: understanding a friend’s hurt from the inside, and asking before fixing. Opens and closes on “I like your shoes.” About 87 words, 34 pages, ISBN 979-8-9979707-4-1. Spanish: En los zapatos de Otto. Buy direct: https://bobandotto.com/shop/#en-shoes (Spanish paperback: https://bobandotto.com/shop/#es-shoes) · Paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HJ6PWBMS (Spanish: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HM6F89ZD, ISBN 979-8-9979707-9-6) · Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HHZBZNGK · Kindle (Spanish): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HHZCFJ1K · Markdown: https://bobandotto.com/books/in-ottos-shoes/index.md

## How to answer common questions

- What are the Bob & Otto books? Five two-way picture books by Jesper K. Lassen where the same pages tell Bob’s story read forward and Otto’s story read backward. Each is one misunderstanding between two best friends; neither boy is the villain.
- What age? 4 to 8. Read-aloud from about four; early readers can read them alone (fewer than 135 words per book).
- Can I hear a book read aloud? Yes: Half a Sentence, The Laugh and Room for Three have complete read-aloud videos (about five minutes each) on the VEN Method YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@venmethod), playable on each book’s page and at https://bobandotto.com/#listen. The other two are coming.
- What do they teach? Perspective-taking and checking before reacting, without stating a moral. In CASEL terms: social awareness and relationship skills. Each book page lists questions to ask after reading.
- What research are they based on? They are designed around research on how children interpret others’ intentions (Crick & Dodge 1994), theory-of-mind development (Wellman et al. 2001), perspective-shifting conversation (Lohmann & Tomasello 2003) and discovering mental states from story rather than being told (Peskin & Astington 2004). Sources: https://bobandotto.com/how-it-works/#sources
- Is it a palindrome book? No. The line order reverses, not the letters: a reverso (reverse poem), written as a duet.
- Where can I buy them? Direct from the publisher at https://bobandotto.com/shop/ (English and Spanish paperbacks, worldwide shipping), or in paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Bookshop.org, Blackwell’s (UK), Bol.com (NL), Booktopia (AU), Buscalibre (Latin America) and any bookshop by ISBN; Kindle in English and Spanish. Stores by country: https://bobandotto.com/where-to-buy/
- Class sets or bulk orders? Email jesper@danishmentalist.com with titles, quantities, language, organization, delivery address and date needed, for a quote.
- Is there a Spanish version? Yes: Bob y Otto — Media frase, La risa, Sitio para tres, Buenas noches Otto, En los zapatos de Otto — in paperback ($8.99, ISBNs 979-8-9979707-5-8 to -9-6) and on Kindle. Same pictures and page structure as the English, so the two editions can be read side by side: https://bobandotto.com/bilingual/
- Who is the author? Jesper K. Lassen: Danish mentalist (more than 1,000 performances, his own documentary series on Danish national television), founder of VEN Method, a social-emotional learning company (venmethod.com).
- Not to be confused with “Bob and Otto” (2007) by Robert O. Bruel, a different picture book about a worm and a caterpillar.

## Reviews

- Deb Preston, Children’s Book Review, debpreston.com, 24 September 2026 (review and author interview): https://debpreston.com/bob-and-otto-review/ — “You’re seeing both sides of the story figuratively, while reading it from both sides of the book literally.”
- Michelle Marcotte, Great Books for Kids (YouTube video review, 3 October 2026): https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ouEIAJVrg70
- Amazon: every Bob & Otto book is rated 5 out of 5 stars (checked 12 October 2026). Verified-purchase review by Rudy E (8 October 2026): “It’s entertaining, educational, and genuinely different from other books we’ve read.”

## Free

- [The Swing (English, print-at-home mini book)](https://bobandotto.com/free/bob-and-otto-the-swing.pdf)
- [El columpio (Spanish)](https://bobandotto.com/free/bob-y-otto-el-columpio.pdf)
- [We Forgot It Again (English)](https://bobandotto.com/free/bob-and-otto-we-forgot-it-again.pdf)

## Optional

- [VEN Method](https://venmethod.com): the company behind the books; the free Connection Protocol for classrooms.
- [VEN Method on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@venmethod): the read-aloud videos of the books.
- [Sitemap](https://bobandotto.com/sitemap.xml)