"Playful, joyous and hip." - Kirkus Reviews   "Shapiro is onto something here: a hard to define "Ooko-ness," that is lovely, invigorating and pure." - Quill and Quire   "There are some books that are almost not even worth reviewing, simply because their merits are too obvious that they're primed to become a hit without any outside help . this is one of those books. . Shapiro's sugar-spun world that exists on these pages is an idyllic and compassionate place, where life lessons are learned at a softly rolling pace." - Globe and Mail   "I love the message behind this simple story. His loneliness is heartbreaking, but his attempts to change are hilarious.

Here the illustrations shine, the characters and surroundings are quirky and whimsical." - 5/5 stars, Lost in a Good Book blog   "I wish that I had had access to this book when I was young, as I would have appreciated its teachings, and I may have gone about things a different way, if had encountered this story when I was a child." - 5/5 stars,  Flavia the Bibliophile  blog   "Overall, this was a great read. Funny, engaging, and filled with valuable lessons for kids, don't pass this book up." - Nebula of Books blog   "We loved this book. It's funny and sweet. The art is beautiful, and original." - Reviews in Chalk blog   "The parallels between what we face in society today and Ooko's difficulties are easy enough for a young child to understand and interesting enough for the adult reading the story to their young.

" - 4/5 stars, The Hermit Librarian  blog   "Ooko is a wonderful addition top libraries and collections, and would make a good pick for storytimes and sharing." - 5/5 stars, Sharon the Librarian blog   "Hands-down one of the best books of the year." - 5/5 stars, Let's Talk Picture Books  blog   "Ooko is a charming tale of friendship from a talented new author-illustrator, Esme Shapiro." - The Bookseller   "Funny, a little eccentric without going over the edge of quirk, Ooko is quite delightful. . Shapiro's artwork and illustrative style is truly eye-catching and memorable, and the story itself is packed with wonderfully kooky moments." - Fab Book Reviews blog.