Kathryn Otoshi's Beloved Picture Book, "One"

J R Medina Luna: Buen producto

Mexico on Nov 11, 2023

Katherine F.: I was really excited to get this for my 5yo daughter, as Kindergarten playground activities have gotten a bit tough. All the lead characters are male.. I understand not wanting to create male vs female dynamics, but why do we even need to apply gender here? It's a book about colors! I'd love to share this story with my daughter/son/any child where they see themselves as the hero. It's a beautiful story - just missed on the delivery.

United States on Oct 23, 2023

Mimyam: I loved reading this book to my grandsons over and over. They loved it too and had a great message about bullying! The illustration is great! My grandson colored the pictures onto his own drawings. I highly recommend this book. And I thank my niece who recommended it to me!

United States on Oct 05, 2023

Anna: Great condition!!

United States on Sep 22, 2023

Mike Seawright: This book has a great message for young and old kids about bullying. I love at the end it still encourages people to be kind to the bully.

United States on Jul 31, 2023

hayes: This is a stunning book, the story has a really lovely message about sticking up up yourself and for others and how 'one' can make a difference. I read it with my 3 and 1 year old regularly and it's one they ask for again and again.

United Kingdom on Mar 16, 2021

Dorothy D.: This is a great story but it has extreme language (swearing), themes of people getting shot, drinking and misogyny. I was never warned before buying this book. I bought it for my elementary school. :(

Canada on Apr 07, 2020

Ruth McEachern: I love this book. It is my favourite kids book to date. It has such a good universal message. I think one of the best parts about this book is that it touches on bullies getting bullied and that no one wants to be left out. I love the water colour illustrations and have used it as an example of colour choice and brush stroke technique in my art classes. I've used it as visual symbolism in my English classes. Like I said. I love this book and use any excuse to read it to people.

Canada on Feb 01, 2017

Mark Jeffrey: After getting K Otoshi's Zero a couple of years ago as a gift, it was a favourite of my daughter (and me) in a large collection of children's stories. We recently bought another copy of Zero for friends, and decided to add two copies of One to our order because of the positive reviews.

One is even better than Zero.

My six year old understood the underlying message of the book the first time we read it and explained the lesson to her little sister. Realizing that bullying is not acceptable and that it is something that can get worse if treated with apathy is a valuable lesson at any age, but the younger the better. An excellent book to share with your kids - it will probably be on the gift list for future nieces/nephews in our family!

Canada on Apr 15, 2013

Nicki Heskin: I am so moved by this book, I barely know where to start writing about it. My daughter just received this for her 6th birthday, and it is maybe the most unique new idea I have seen in children's books in a really long time. If this doesn't become a bestseller, it's a crime.

Using the metaphor of colors, Otoshi gently creates a group of kids with different personalities. Blue is quiet and contemplative, yellow is sunny, green is bright, purple is regal, orange is outgoing, but red is HOT -- a bully, who picks on blue. The others colors are sympathetic and like blue and commiserate, but don't tell red to stop, and red becomes bigger and stronger until everyone is bullied and afraid and there seems to be nothing they can do. (This part of the story actually subtly but hauntingly echoes that story about the Holocaust when they come after one group and then another and when they come after the storyteller there is no one left to help).

But then the story shifts when "1" arrives. He stands up to red and gives the other colors the courage to do the same. As they find their courage they shift from shapeless colors into numbers -- answering to "1" declaration to say no when...

United States on Oct 21, 2008