Courage!

Brave Enough for Two (a Hoot and Olive book) has allusions to Winnie the Pooh. It is a soft, classically toned story written and illustrated by Jonathan D. Voss. This time, instead of Christopher Robin and Pooh, we have Olive and Hoot. Olive is the type of girl who likes adventures in books and Hoot is the type of stuffed owl who likes the “go out and have” adventures. And just like Pooh Bear and Christopher Robin, they go out into the world and have grand adventures together. Because even though Olive is nervous and sometimes afraid, Hoot is there to take care of her and will be brave enough for two. That is, until Hoot needs a brave friend, too, and Olive learns she is also brave enough for two.

 

The child reader will toss believing aside and be fine with the fact that a girl and a stuffed owl fly off in a hot air balloon. And then take that same basket to float down the river. The imagination of the child, of course, is what the adult sees. However, if you are like me, did we not all go to the moon in our cardboard rocket ship?

 

The illustrations are a perfect addition to the story. They keep with the classical look of the story and have a slight modernism to them as well. The brilliant and bold colors pop off the page. Yet, they are cool enough to allude to a warm, breezy summer day of two friends out playing.

 

Brave Enough for Two will become one of those tales that you remember as an adult and hunt for in tag sales, used stores and the back of the attic knowing you have it somewhere.