Picture Book Monday - A review of Utterly Otterly Night

There is something about snow that makes many of us become downright goofy when we go outside to play in it. We cannot resist falling into the white stuff, throwing it at each other, sliding on it, and building things with it. In today's book you are going to meet a young otter who has a fantastic time playing in the snow on a moonlit night. We met this particular youngster in his first book, Utterly Otterly Day, and he is still full of fun and mischief.

Utterly Otterly Night

Mary Casanova

Illustrated by Ard Hoyt

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Simon and Schuster, 2011, 978-1-4169-7562-5

It is wintertime and snow is drifting down out of the night sky. In a cozy holt under the riverbank four otters are fast asleep. No, it would appear that only three of the otters are fast asleep. Little Otter is wide awake and he is eager to play, “in an utterly otterly way.”

  Little Otter wakes up his sister and parents and then they all go outside. Mama reminds everyone that at “the first hint of danger – we all head in.” Little Otter is not worried about danger. After all, he is a “big otter now,” and can take care of himself. Little Otter climbs a hill and then goes sliding down on his belly. He encounters Rabbit, and he hides in the snow when Owl flies over. When the big bird flies off, Little Otter gets back to the business of playing and sliding.

   Then, when Little Otter gets to the top of a high hill, he smells something on the air. He smells danger and he raises the alarm, but his family members are too far away to hear his call.

   Packed with wonderful words like “whooshily,” and “friskily,” this delightful picture book brings back the main character that we met in Utter Otterly Day. Once again Little Otter faces dangers, and once again the author and illustrator beautifully convey how delightfully ebullient and fun-loving Little Otter is.