A hugely endearing, very funny story about kindness, friendship and overcoming fears for fans of Shirley Hughes and Laura Carlin, from award-winning illustrator Maisie Paradise Shearring.Anna and Otis the snake are great friends and they love having fun together. But Otis knows people are scared of snakes, so he usually just plays at home or in the garden. He is nervous when Anna suggests a new adventure.At first people are afraid, and Otis feels he isn't welcome in the town. But Anna encourages Otis not to give up, and it soon turns out that maybe snakes aren't as scary as people thought! The hairdresser enjoys shampooing a reptile for a change, and at the skate shop Sally has a lot of fun fitting Otis with his own set of awesome wheels.Anna and Otis is full of endless rich details to spot and Maisie's artwork is a treat to pore over.

Maisie Paradise Shearring has been mentored by Nick Sharratt, and won the International Award for Illustration at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. She illustrated an adaptation of The Happy Prince. Anna and Otis is her first self-authored picture book.