OTTER OUGHTA KNOW

An otter oughta know that she can’t be friends with an alligator—or can she?

From the riverbank, the otter’s animal friends warn her that a gator is close behind. When she disappears under the surface, they fear the worst. But the otter and the gator quickly re-emerge together as friends. The gator playfully launches the otter into the air, leading all the animals to a friendship-themed surprise party. The illustrations charm with clean lines, saturated colors, and touches of texture. The message is sweet—friends come in all forms—though gaps in the storyline leave it feeling like little more than a vehicle for the wordplay. (Why would the otter and the gator stage an alarming ruse to frighten their friends toward a party? Or was the alligator encounter an oddly convenient coincidence?) As the title suggests, the verse is full of tongue-twisting whimsy. Periodic breaks from the rhyme (“Swim, otter!” “Fly, otter!”) provide a welcome rest when reading out loud. Using repetition that may help hold the attention spans of younger listeners, the book frequently returns to variations on key phrases and patterns, though unpredictable shifts in the structure and occasionally awkward meter detract somewhat from the read-aloud experience.

Wordplay makes for a tongue-twistingly cute read-aloud about friendship, despite a few flaws in execution.