Showing results by author "Loren Long" in All Categories

Loren Long - recipient of two Golden Kite Awards - delivers a whimsical story of friendship and perseverance. Otis is a kind, hardworking farm tractor who befriends a motherless calf. After work, he and his pal love frolicking together in the fields - until one day Otis is replaced by a new tractor. Left to rust in the weeds, he feels useless and no longer wants to play. But when the calf gets in trouble - and firemen can’t even help - Otis revs up to rescue his friend.

Otis the faithful farm tractor is frolicking in the meadow with his animal friends when an approaching tornado darkens the sky and threatens the farm. Rousing the animals for another game of follow-the-leader, Otis calmly guides them to the safety of a protected valley. But as the twister turns toward the barn, Otis hears the frantic bellowing of the bull, still locked in his pen.

On the farm where Otis the tractor lives, it hasn't rained in a long time, and farmers all over the valley have grown anxious, with water in such short supply. One hot afternoon, when Otis and his friends are resting beneath the shade of the apple tree, Otis spots something moving down in the valley: an orange tabby cat headed straight for the old barn. But then Otis sees something else that causes his engine to sputter...a swirl of smoke coming from the same barn. A fire!

The year is 1899, and the Travelin' Nine are crisscrossing the good ol' U.S. of A., raising money to pay off the Payne family's big-league debt! As the team heads into the River City, Griffith is beginning to realize that there's more at risk than meets the eye, something beyond the need to raise money: something involving the ball that could put his entire family in danger.

Listen to Trace Adkins read five of New York Times bestselling character Otis's stories, including Otis, Otis and the Tornado, Otis Loves to Play, Otis and the Puppy, and An Otis Christmas.

In a wonderful new palette, and in the tradition of classics like Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and The Story of Ferdinand, Loren Long has crafted an unforgettable new story - and character - celebrating the power of friendship and perseverance.

Otis and his farm friends love to play hide-and-seek. Otis especially loves to be "It", finding his friends as they hide. Yet when the newest addition to the farm - a bounding puppy who can't sit still and has a habit of licking faces - tries to hide, he finds his attention wandering and is soon lost in the forest. Night falls and Otis, knowing his new friend is afraid of the dark, sets out to find him. There's just one problem: Otis is "also" afraid of the dark. His friend is alone and in need, though, so Otis takes a deep breath, counts to 10, and sets off on a different game.

As the Travelin' Nine head to Chicago, the team is filled with hope and optimism. After a disappointing loss in Cincinnati at the start of their baseball tour, the heroes of the Spanish-American War bounced back in Louisville. Doc and Woody came through with timely fielding, Crazy Feet and Tales smacked clutch hits, and champion horses provided that extra kick, helping the barnstormers to their come-from-behind victory.

Griffith, Graham, and Ruby's father passed away in the war. And now they must join their mother and their father's wartime traveling baseball team, The Travelin' Nine, on a a tour of America to raise money. No one will tell the kids why the team needs money so badly. Their only clue is a baseball with a hole the size of an acorn in it that their Uncle Owen gave to them the night of their father's funeral. When all three kids hold the ball, strange things begin to happen.

There is a bright yellow bus who spends her days driving. She loves carrying children from one important place to another. Every morning they climb in... Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, giggle, giggle-patter. And they fill her with joy. As time passes, things change. The Yellow Bus gets a new driver, a new route, and new passengers, young and old. Until one day the driving stops for good, and the Yellow Bus is left on her own. And yet, no matter where she is, the Yellow Bus still finds joy and discovery in the world around her.