Utterly Otterly Day

Little Otter speeds through his day at a breakneck pace, from the moment he wakes up and rouses his sleepy family to his spine-tingling sunset escape from a hungry cougar. In between, he eludes a falling tree, an eagle, a snapping turtle, and an angry fisherman. After each escape, he tells himself that “he’s a big otter now,” and swims away with typical preschooler bravado. His close call with the cougar leaves him shaken, however, and he retreats to the safety and and comfort of the den. As he accepts some parental snuggles, he admits that “He needs his family – no matter how big her grows.” Allit­er­ation and onomatopoeic phrases (“whiippidy, slippidy,” “swishily swashily”) combine to give a sense of the hustle and bustle of Little Otter’s day. Sketchy water­color drawings with multiple perspec­tives lend a feeling of constant movement, while the recurring image of a yellow butterfly ties the story together. As Little Otter falls asleep, he dreams of being carried away by a swarm of them, demon­strating that he is bold even in his sleep … Additionally, there is just enough infor­mation about otters to whet readers’ appetites for further research – Rachael Vilmar, Eastern Shore Regional Library, Salisbury, MD.
—School Library Journal, Rachael Vilmar, Easter Shore Regional Library, Salisbury, MD

Otter play gets its visual due in this adorable tale of one little otter’s deter­mi­nation to prove “he’s a big otter now.” At the beginning of a bright new day Little Otter is intent on having as much fun as possible. He cracks clams — “Clickety, clunkery, crunch!” — floats with fish and avoids a panoply of dangers. A run-in with a voracious cougar ends happily but reminds Little Otter that no matter how big he grows, he still needs his family from time to time…
—Kirkus Reviews