The first Otter book, (
I Am Otter
), had to bear the burden of introducing Otter, Otter Keeper, Otter's best friend Teddy and the entire world of Otter. It was charming and imaginative, but as I say it had to cover a lot of ground. It was still marvelous. When all of the elements come together in just the right balance - as they did then - you have a real winner.
But this book. First off, Otter Keeper takes Otter and Teddy to the Museum, which is where they see a special exhibit and get the idea to travel into space. But get this. Before that happens, Otter wanders around the rest of the Museum. She makes passing observations about dinosaurs, old paintings, old stuff in general and gift shops. Each comment is a one sentence gem that captures, in full deadpan earnestness, the authentic reaction of a kid in a museum. It's funny; it's true; it's charming, endearing, and not one tiny bit affected.
The whole trip to the Moon is just bonus time and it works, again, because of Otter's deadpan and guileless delivery. Nothing about these books is cutesy or twee. There are no false notes and the author never hedges his bets by introducing irony. Otter is sincere, honest, focused and totally insane as only a four year old kid can be, and Gartner just nails that weird combination of fantasy and practicality that is a little kid's head. The effect is arresting, entertaining and admirable.
It helps that the drawings here are crisp, well colored, and very expressive. Emotions like "frustration", actions like "adventuring", and feelings like "inspiration", are brutally difficult to capture and express in drawings, but Garton gets it right on every page. It is always clear what is going on with Otter, and it's possible for a little reader to make a real connection with these visuals. There is a disconnect between what one sees, (Otter in a cardboard box), and what Otter is imagining, (Otter in a spaceship), and the author gets the charm and humor of that disconnect right without at all mocking Otter's creativity or imagination.
Captions and narrative are challenging because it's so easy to get cloying or clunky. Again, Garton hits that poetic sweet spot where he writes just enough to drive the tale without overreaching.
So, Otter remains just the right combination of funny, mellow, curious, spirited, playful and appealing. She doesn't come with a lot of extra business; she isn't weighed down with any message; there isn't anything heavy handed about her story. The whole tone or feeling here is one of creative play and security and discovery. And isn't that just exactly what you want in a favorite picture book?
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