Otters Love to Play

by Jonathan London, Meilo So (Illustrator)

Overview

Ka-splash! Head to the river, where a frolicsome bunch of otters plays all year round in a nonfiction story sprinkled with facts — and loaded with fun.

It’s spring, and a litter of baby river otters emerges from a den . . . to play! Follow the otters through the seasons as they chase one another, slide down a mudbank, jump in a pile of leaves, and learn to swim. Even while catching fish for their dinner or grooming themselves in the snow, otters love to play — and Jonathan London’s lively text and Meilo So’s fluid watercolors invite you to share in the joy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763669133
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	03/22/2016
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.70(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jonathan London is an award-winning author of dozens of children’s books, including the popular Froggy series illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz. He is well known for his compassion for — and commitment to — wildlife, and many of his books are about animals. Jonathan London lives in northern California.

Meilo So was born in Hong Kong but grew up in England. She is the illustrator of many children’s books, including Pale Male by Janet Schulman and Water Sings Blue by Kate Coombs. Meilo So lives in Scotland.

Editorial Reviews

Fun and informative, this beautifully illustrated, strong narrative belongs in every collection.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

Otters love to play, and so do children. Perhaps that is why so many children love otters, "one of the most playful creatures of all wildlife," which London highlights in this engaging text featuring irresistible illustrations by So...Both playful and beguiling, just like its subjects.
—Kirkus Reviews

London, the author of 100-plus picture books and best known for his ever-growing Froggy series, combines family adventure and facts to create a frolicsome, informative tale...So’s whimsical art—aptly conceived in flowing watercolors—adds mischievous charm to all that beckoning play.
—Booklist

A clutch of river otter pups grows and develops through the four seasons of their North American habitat...Lively illustrations capture the kinetic movements of otters, their slinky, flexible bodies, and the irresistible cuteness of their stocky paws and whiskered faces.
—The Horn Book

Kids who enjoyed London’s introduction to those poop-flinging heavyweight hippos (Hippos Are Huge, BCCB 5/15) will be delighted with this return engagement on North American river otters...So’s watercolor illustrations are as supple and sinuous as their subject; dark hatching and dashes of delicate outlining give the otters a solidity that contrasts well with their translucently rendered surroundings.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

London's sprightly narrative teams with So's naturalistic watercolors to follow pups' progress from birth in the spring through the end of their first year.
—San Francisco Chronicle

The beautiful watercolor illustrations are neatly done...This is a nonfiction adventure book filled with facts that children will love to read and to look at the pictures of the otters playing chase, tag, and racing with one another.
—School Library Connection

From the Publisher

12/01/2016
K-Gr 2—A buoyant text and exquisite watercolor artwork follow a litter of frisky pups as they awaken to the world around them and learn the skills necessary to survive. Complementing the story of these rambunctious aquatic animals' adventures are details on their anatomy and habits, and the purpose of play.

School Library Journal

2015-12-08
Otters love to play, and so do children. Perhaps that is why so many children love otters, "one of the most playful creatures of all wildlife," which London highlights in this engaging text featuring irresistible illustrations by So. Using the formula he established in Hippos Are Huge, illustrated by Matthew Trueman (2015), London delivers the main facts in broad strokes. These appear in bouncy large print while additional information appears in smaller type. Readers follow pups throughout their first year. Seen in spring nestled in their nest, toothless and "about the size of a small candy bar," the otters soon emerge to play—and learn. They wrestle, roll, swim ("Ka-Splash!"), and catch fish. By fall they are almost fully grown. Beautifully designed, fluid, colorful watercolor paintings evoke the otters' habitat through the seasons in the river and on the shore. The otters are often rendered in drybrush so their expressions, poses, and activities are finely detailed, inviting close inspection. Neither the threat of winter nor a fox slows down the otters, and they celebrate the arrival of spring on a mud slide. This fine introduction to the species includes an index and a note providing more information, but there is no bibliography, so motivated young naturalists will want to look elsewhere for additional resources. Both playful and beguiling, just like its subjects. (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews