Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this follow-up to Utterly Otterly Day, Little Otter and his family pop through the frozen ice and slide down snowy hills under moonlight. Casanova's gently cadenced verse mimics the otters' movements: "Up and down, the otters play./ They glide and slide,/ in a whooshily, shooshily way." Little Otter encounters other animals as he plays, including a rabbit, owl, and moose. But atop a high hill, he smells trouble: a pack of wolves. Hoyt's matte pen-and-ink illustrations create contrast between the smiling, rosy-cheeked otters and the chilly blue of the wild landscape; Little Otter's tense escape will leave readers relieved by his family's safe return. Ages 3-6. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-In this second "Otterly" book, Little Otter urges his family out of their snow-covered den for some nighttime fun. As he zooms down the hills, he encounters a rabbit, plows under the snow beneath the reach of an owl, and even stops short of a towering moose's hooves. But since he is a "big otter now," he knows danger when he smells it. Sure enough, five wolves "[peer] out from piney shadows,/big teeth...big eyes." looking hungrily right at him. "Heart bump-bumping," Little Otter zigzags away to divert them from his family while he screams a warning. Of course, everyone makes it back to the den safely, and "all is right" on this "icily, dicily/.frightfully, delightfully,/utterly otterly night." Youngsters will enjoy the irony of the parents' initial warning to be alert to danger while it is left to the youngest family member to save everyone, and they will love repeating the delicious fabricated rhyming words, even though the inconsistent rhyme scheme may challenge adults reading aloud. The pen-and-ink cartoon illustrations, mostly spreads, depict a chubby-cheeked, grinning otter family playfully cavorting in their winter habitat. Watercolor washes, swirling lines, and cross-hatching convey the joyous, nonstop energy of the animals until a close-up of Little Otter, head raised, mouth wide open as he cries, "Danger!" heralds his life-and-death flight from the wolves' grasp. Betty Tatham's Baby Sea Otter (Holt, 2005) offers some factual information about these utterly adorable creatures.-Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Utterly Otterly Day (2008). On a moonlit night in snowy winter, the otter family pops out from its holt to play in an "utterly, otterly way." This consists of belly slides down slippery hills, and the delight on their faces makes it likely that readers will itch to imitate them. But the members of the otter family are not the only creatures about. Papa warns of a hunting owl, and another time, Little Otter barely halts one of his wild rides in time to avoid a collision with huge Moose. But it is at the top of the steepest hill yet that Little Otter gets his own first sense of danger: Five wolves are on the prowl. Scared though he is, Little Otter knows what he must do, and he bravely sets about distracting the wolves, warning his family and narrowly evading teeth and claws. Hoyt's pen-and-ink illustrations wonderfully convey the playfulness and innocence of Little Otter, his every emotion worn on his sleeve. Casanova's onomatopoeic phrases punctuate the action with infectious glee: "Up and down, the otters play. / They glide and slide, / in a whooshily, shooshily way." A note for parents: Duct tape works well to repair holes torn in snow pants by otter sliding; after reading this book you may need a couple rolls. (Picture book. 3-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
