A Fish Out of Water by Helen Palmer and P.D.Eastman

A Fish Out of Water was one of my favourite books as a  child and this  edition was published in 1963. How excited was I when I found this today?  A little boy buys a fish he calls Otto from Mr Carp and is promptly given the instruction:"Never feed him a lot. Never more than a spot! Or something may happen. You never know what." Yet straight away after landing home, the lad is being more than generous with the feeds. The rhyme drives the story along as Otto quickly outgrows one watery habitat after another. Pretty soon the local policeman is involved and then the fire brigade, and eventually Mr Carp makes a return appearance to make for a very satisfying ending to the story.

Otto: The Autobiography of a Teddy Bear by Tomi Ungerer

Otto is a  German teddy and his first memories are of being stitched together and presented to a Jewish boy for his fifth birthday some years before the outbreak of WWII. David shares his bear with his best friend Oskar, using him for pranks, games and showing him how to operate a typewriter and to write with ink. The purple pink indelible stain which marks his head is an important part of the story. Then comes the war and David is taken away by German soldiers. Hardships are ahead and Otto is to change hands many times throughout the book. Students will find this innocent protagonist appealing and although the book deals with one of the darkest chapters in history, the story with its beautiful ending will prompt important questions and reflection without causing undue stress. A small corner of the Holcaust seen through the eyes of a teddy bear is a truly unforgettable experience.