Review: Otter-ly Cute Illustrated Fiction for Young Readers

I am firmly of the belief that children cannot be offered too many choices when it comes to engaging them in independent reading for pleasure. Today I am happy to recommend three books which I am certain will appeal to young readers. They all feature short chapters, are approximately 100-120 pages in length, are an ideal size for small hands, have clear fonts, engaging stories, beautiful illustrations to break up the text…and OTTERS! Who doesn’t love an otter?

Well actually, the AdventureMice might have something to say about that last question! The star of AdventureMice Otter Chaos is an adventurous young mouse called Pedro who disregards his Dad’s advice that mice do not need anything so ‘scary, dangerous and uncomfortable’ as adventures. As soon as he is old enough, he packs his suitcase and sets off in search of excitement, getting more than he bargained for when a gust of wind blows him out to sea! This entertaining story by Philip Reeve features an unusual villain and plenty of action to keep young readers engrossed from start to finish. The full colour illustrations by Sarah McIntyre are fantastic, I especially loved the detailed cross-section of the Mousebase, the map of the mouse islands and the ‘how to’ guide which will enable any reader (young or old) to draw their own version of Pedro.

I lack any artistic talent and therefore can provide evidence that the instructions will give anyone the confidence to draw!

Big Sky Mountain The Beach Otters is written and illustrated by Alex Milway and is a gentle adventure which cleverly blends environmental messages into a story which explores geography, weather and the natural world.

Rosa and her Grandma Nan live in a cute cabin on the shore of Lake Jewell, with Albert the Moose, Little Pig the pygmy owl and Stick a wolf cub. However, they drop their daily chores as soon as they spot a distress signal coming from the direction of the coast. Setting off in Grandma Nan’s canoe, they travel across a range of landscapes before reaching the coast where they find a family of sea otters who live in an abandoned lighthouse. The problem of plastic pollution of the oceans is hugely apparent in the mess that washes up on the otters’ beach every morning. Rosa and Nan help with the clean up and fashion a raft from many discarded plastic barrels which they use to carry out a daring rescue mission from Jagged Rock Island!

As well as a thoroughly satisfying story, young readers are treated to fascinating facts about ocean dwellers; I can imagine many will enjoy learning about hermit crabs and some interesting information about blue whale poo!

Another story with an environmental theme, the third book in the Woodland Magic series The Stranded Otter finds Cora, Trix, Jax and Nis working on a handmade raft, in preparation for the moonlight raft race which will be held in honour of Grandmother Sky’s birthday. Within the first few pages of the story Cora demonstrates her credentials as a Nature Keeper, risking a dunking in the lake in order to rescue a drowning caddisfly.

In each story of this series the young Nature Keepers are sent out into the Big Outside early each morning to perform a task intended to repair some of the environmental damage caused by the Ruffins (humans). This time Cora and Jax are sent to build a bug hotel outside a newly constructed supermarket – a narrative that would be lovely to share with Key Stage One children perhaps in a science or Forest School lesson. There is a non-fiction section at the end of the story which provides additional details on different natural materials which can be used to attract a range of invertebrate species.

Despite designing an excellent bug hotel, Cora and Jax risk failing their assigned task when they are diverted by an otter cub who is trapped by a discarded shopping trolley and risks being drowned in the fiercely rushing river. A daring rescue which relies on impressive teamwork and the sacrifice of their racing raft will have young readers turning the pages until the final resolution. Julie Sykes blends magical characters with perfectly pitched environmental issues, wonderfully illustrated by Katy Riddell in this adorable story for young readers of 6-8 years of age.

My thanks to Piccadilly Press for review copies of Big Sky Mountain The Beach Otters which was published in autumn 2022 and Woodland Magic The Stranded Otter which will be published on 9th March 2023, and to David Fickling Books for AdventureMice Otter Chaos which will be published on 2nd March 2023.