Price knew all the right buttons to press to excite a young reader - exotic locations, nasty villains, wild animals and lashings of peril

Willard Price makes the pulse-rate soar

If you love ponies like Katie does, then these books are perfect for you.

It may encourage pony mad non-readers to start enjoying the reading experience. If it does that, and I'm certain it will, then one should take one's hat off to Katie

There's something genially old-fashioned about it all. Otto endures hardship and adventure (including the brush-off he receives from a pair of alley cats) as he flees his old existence and finds new sources of companionship. In this case, the animal adrift ends up with fellow story characters as well as with human readers, who, as they will in real life too, want to keep Otto around

Katie's illustrations are full of space, gentle colour and apparent simplicity. She also has a real way with drawing animals - Otto is a very handsome bear, a bear that you'll want to hug and make space for on your bookshelves