The Curse of the Cobweb Queen

Otto & Uncle Tooth #4

by Geoffrey Hayes

Cousin Olivia proves to be very helpful when Otto and Uncle Tooth, a famous detective, attempt to retrieve a stolen black pearl from a wicked witch

Genres: Childrens

48 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Geoffrey Hayes has written and illustrated over forty children’s books, including the extremely popular series of early readers Otto and Uncle Tooth, the classic Bear By Himself, and When the Wind Blew by Caldecott Medal-winning author Margaret Wise Brown.

Reviews

[Leahna · Rating 4 out of 5]

my granddaughter loved it.

[Nishta Reddy]

First school library book ever checked out <<333

[Cameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Curse of the Cobweb Queen is part of a series of beginner chapter books by Geoffrey Hayes about a brother and sister pair duo of dinosaurs Otto and Olivia, who go on adventures with their Uncle Tooth (who happens to be a famous detective). In this installment, Uncle Tooth is asked to find a treasured pearl that was stolen by the evil Cobweb Queen. Otto and Olivia accompany him in his search through town and beyond until they confront the Cobweb Queen at her castle. Their cleverness and team work enable them to outsmart the Queen and reclaim the lost pearl.

While this book has an engaging plot that is sure to quickly hook children, I am most impressed by the way the author lays out the text. It is clear that his aim is to beginner readers, and divides the story into short, workable chapters. The words are bigger than usual with enough space between that allows for individual reading. I think that this book is a great introduction into chapter books, because it takes a higher-level reading concept (chapters) and makes it appeal to younger children as a do-able thing. I would recommend this book for a 2nd grade class because of its layout and also I think that the story line would be a hit with that age group.

One other great feature of this book is that in the inside cover, there is a place for kids to sign their names after reading it. This encourages children to read more and congratulates them on a completing a book. Positive reinforcement in reading is extremely important to building a love of books, and this small detail could make a big difference.

[Rachel Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally my favourite book as a child. I would check it out every week during elementary school!

[Hillvan]

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