Otter carries on

Little Otter floats belly-up above waving seaweed, always clutching in both paws a collection of treasured rocks. Little Otter's friend Little Puffin and the adult otters are worried: how will Little Otter swim, catch food, or fluff up their fur to stay warm? "I know what I'm doing," Little Otter responds stoutly. Tatsukawa (Mole Is Not Alone) creates softly colored, digitally finished multimedia spreads divided horizontally at the waterline, the better to see what happens above and below. When a storm carries Little Otter out to sea, the rock collection stays safe until whales begin to cavort around the protagonist: "MY ROCKS!" The stones begin to sink, and suddenly, with paws free, Little Otter finds it possible to do new things--the very things the others suggested might be possible. The graceful movement of waves and water, speech balloons that present the story in dialogue, and the low fear factor--the whales whose play knocks the rocks from Little Otter's paws are friendly and helpful--all enliven this buoyant story about accepting the advice of others versus finding out for oneself. Ages 4--8. Agent: Wendi Gu, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. (Feb.)

Can Otter manage without help? A colorful array of rocks rest on a round and reddish otter's stomach as the little animal bobs up and down on the waves. Puffin offers to help carry the heavy load, and fellow otters express concern, but Otter retorts, "I know what I'm doing." Suddenly a storm arrives, and Otter is blown about as lightning crashes above. The others urge Otter to let go of some rocks, but the protagonist stubbornly clutches them. Tatsukawa relies on her signature multimedia illustration style, which many will recall fromMole Is Not Alone (2023). Here, she divides most spreads into two parts: sky and water. At one point, both these aspects of Otter's world merge as the protagonist is blown out to sea, lost and adrift. It isn't until several whales swim by and offer assistance that Otter realizes it's OK to ask for help. An ocean of tiny details, depicted in a soft palette of grays, blues, and greens, will reward young readers developing visual literacy skills. Though the lesson imparted is sound, the text, told entirely through dialogue, may not resonate as deeply as the art. The resolution is somewhat abrupt, and picture-book readers may have trouble understanding why Otter was so reluctant to ask for help to begin with. Visually immersive, though the storytelling may leave young readers cold.(Picture book. 3-5) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.