Oscar and Otto

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Eric Hoffer Book Awards 2023 Finalist
Readers' Choice Book Awards 2023 Finalist
1st place, Children's Adventure & 1st place, Children's Illustrations, Firebird Book Awards, 4th Qtr 2023
Honorable Mention, Picture Books, Royal Dragonfly Awards 2023
Story Monster Approved Awards Finalist, 2024

Oscar once again makes a big splash when a newcomer moves in from across the pond. Find out if he sinks or swims as he tries to trap a tricky trout!

Have your children ever felt frustrated with others because they won’t do what they want them to do? Do they become annoyed when others brag about their successes? Then this is the book for you!

Oscar the troll just wants to have a bit of relaxing fun fishing in his local lake, but his plans are disrupted when Otto, a slippery fish, steals all his worms. Otto brags to all his friends about how he was able to trick the unsuspecting fisherman. 

This sets off a fierce rivalry between Oscar and Otto, until one day Otto is nearly caught, barely escaping with a fishhook stuck in his mouth. Otto is hurt and humiliated and Oscar is more determined than ever to catch the tricky trout. 

But in Oscar’s impatience, he tries to ice fish before the lake is safe to stand upon. When Oscar falls through the thin ice, Otto decides to come to his rescue and saves the troll from drowning.

A grateful Oscar, devising a way to catch Otto. He removes the irritating hook, and the two become friends.

This story teaches children about the dangers of bragging and harboring bad feelings about others. It shows children that friendship can be found even among very different persons and friendship is always more fun than fighting!

“The two wily characters, well depicted in both Cetas’ prose and Kose’s gentle cartoon illustrations, will have readers delighted that neither loses in the end.” – Kirkus Reviews (2022)

 “A cleverly plotted ‘battle of wills’ story between a trickster fish and a very determined troll.” – The Wishing Shelf (2023)

“The book demonstrates the importance of friendship, kindness, and supporting others when they are in need. Young children will enjoy the fun scenes of Oscar repeatedly falling in the lake and will root for the fish as he evades the troll’s capture. Star Rating: 5 Stars” – Readers’ Choice Book Awards (2023)

“A sweetly written, energetic story filled with fun characters.” - The Wishing Shelf Book Awards (2024)

Betty Cetas enjoys traveling and has visited many places around the world. She especially loves the log cottage she bought in the remote woods of Finland, where she spent summers with her family and friends, telling fanciful stories of a provincial troll, a shy moose, and an impish fish. She and her husband, and their little dog, Jesse, live half the year in Tucson, AZ and the other half in Portland, OR. Oscar and the Awful, Horrible Smell is her first book with many more to come.