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Otters Love to Play
Ka-splash! Head to the river, where a frolicsome bunch of otters plays all year round in a nonfiction story sprinkled with facts — and loaded with fun.
It’s spring, and a litter of baby river otters emerges from a den . . . to play! Follow the otters through the seasons as they chase one another, slide down a mudbank, jump in a pile of leaves, and learn to swim. Even while catching fish for their dinner or grooming themselves in the snow, otters love to play — and Jonathan London’s lively text and Meilo So’s fluid watercolors invite you to share in the joy.
It’s spring, and a litter of baby river otters emerges from a den . . . to play! Follow the otters through the seasons as they chase one another, slide down a mudbank, jump in a pile of leaves, and learn to swim. Even while catching fish for their dinner or grooming themselves in the snow, otters love to play — and Jonathan London’s lively text and Meilo So’s fluid watercolors invite you to share in the joy.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published March 8, 2016
109 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan London
191 books194 followersJonathan London is the author of several celebrated children's books. His commitment to honoring the wonders of the natural world has been lauded by readers and critics alike. He is the author of more than 70 children's books, many of which are about nature. He's also the author of the popular Froggy series. He lives in Graton, California with his wife and two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
June 20, 2018
Nonfiction #4:
London, Jonathon. (2016). Otters love to play. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
Possible crossover subject: Science
Fiction Twin Text:
Wargin, Kathy-jo and Brendall-Brunello, John. (2014). Otter out of water. Ann Arbor, MI: Sleeping Bear Press.
Otter Out of Water is a silly book about “what if” an otter followed you home one day and “what if” the otter the way the otter played messed up your house and “what if” the next day the otter brought his whole family back to your house? It’s a funny book with unlikely scenarios that a friendly otter can find himself in. The nonfiction book, Otters Love to Play describes the different ways otters play and how playing helps them hunt for food. The book is filled with other facts about otters, such as how then live in dens, how their fur protects them from the weather, and how mother otters protect their young, as well as other fascinating facts about otters. While the K-W-L method would be a good strategy to teach these twin texts, I think the Venn Diagram would be interesting. The diagram could be based around how otters play, since both books had that as a major theme. The students could first fill in the side with how the otter played in Otter Out of Water, the fictional book with unlikely an otter would play. Second, after reading Otters Love to Play, the students would fill in the ways otters have been known to play. When both sides are filled, the students can find similarities between the fictional account of otters at play, and what otters actually do when they play. Even though this activity only focused on one aspect of otters, I think because of the fun nature of looking for ways that otters play will get students interested in otters and can open doors for more discussions about otters, alike where they live, how they hunt for food, and how they protect themselves from predators.
London, Jonathon. (2016). Otters love to play. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
Possible crossover subject: Science
Fiction Twin Text:
Wargin, Kathy-jo and Brendall-Brunello, John. (2014). Otter out of water. Ann Arbor, MI: Sleeping Bear Press.
Otter Out of Water is a silly book about “what if” an otter followed you home one day and “what if” the otter the way the otter played messed up your house and “what if” the next day the otter brought his whole family back to your house? It’s a funny book with unlikely scenarios that a friendly otter can find himself in. The nonfiction book, Otters Love to Play describes the different ways otters play and how playing helps them hunt for food. The book is filled with other facts about otters, such as how then live in dens, how their fur protects them from the weather, and how mother otters protect their young, as well as other fascinating facts about otters. While the K-W-L method would be a good strategy to teach these twin texts, I think the Venn Diagram would be interesting. The diagram could be based around how otters play, since both books had that as a major theme. The students could first fill in the side with how the otter played in Otter Out of Water, the fictional book with unlikely an otter would play. Second, after reading Otters Love to Play, the students would fill in the ways otters have been known to play. When both sides are filled, the students can find similarities between the fictional account of otters at play, and what otters actually do when they play. Even though this activity only focused on one aspect of otters, I think because of the fun nature of looking for ways that otters play will get students interested in otters and can open doors for more discussions about otters, alike where they live, how they hunt for food, and how they protect themselves from predators.
June 22, 2018
This book would be good as an introduction to aquatic mammals in a science class. For the twin text book I have selected Elliott the Otter: The Totally Untrue Story of Elliott, Boss of the Bay by John Skewes. This book would be a good introduction to see other aquatic animal life as Elliott discusses the day to day happenings in Elliott Bay. Between novels you could have students predict how otters actually spend their day compared to how Elliott runs the bay in the fiction story. You could also ask how otters days change as the seasons change or predict what otters prey upon and are prey for. I feel that the KWL chart would be the best strategy to handle this.
Skewes, J. (2015). Elliott the otter: The totally untrue story of Elliott, boss of the bay. Seattle,
WA: Little Bigfoot.
Skewes, J. (2015). Elliott the otter: The totally untrue story of Elliott, boss of the bay. Seattle,
WA: Little Bigfoot.
October 25, 2018
i read this out loud to my daughter. it had the word 'teats' in it and i couldn't stop laughing throughout the rest of the book. guess this is for mature audiences only!
July 13, 2021
It's very difficult not to read this one with a smile. Learn all about an exuberant otter family as they grow, learn, and most of all, play! Lots of facts included in the text will extend appreciation to these animals and their habitat.
October 3, 2017
Lively non-fiction book about these playful animals that reads like a story, perfect for a prek - 3rd grade read-aloud. Otters Love to Play is loaded with facts that are carefully written in a way that young listeners or readers can easily grasp.
Follow along as the baby otters open their eyes for the first time in spring, learn to swim in summer, jump in leaves in the fall, and enjoy some belly-slides in the winter snow. Illustrator Meilo So’s colorful illustrations depicts all the wonderful fun otters (and children) can have as the seasons change. Children will easily see relationships to their own ways of playing and teachers/parents can pick out so many more connections to discuss. Otters Love to Play also includes an index, making this book a great introduction to how to use an informational text.
Follow along as the baby otters open their eyes for the first time in spring, learn to swim in summer, jump in leaves in the fall, and enjoy some belly-slides in the winter snow. Illustrator Meilo So’s colorful illustrations depicts all the wonderful fun otters (and children) can have as the seasons change. Children will easily see relationships to their own ways of playing and teachers/parents can pick out so many more connections to discuss. Otters Love to Play also includes an index, making this book a great introduction to how to use an informational text.
April 10, 2016
Gorgeous, color-drenched watercolor illustrations follow a family of otters through the first year of their lives. The babies emerge from their den in the spring, and their play never stops throughout the seasons, even while their mother carefully provides food and instructions for them. They learn how to swim, how to hunt, and how to keep themselves safe, and when they chance upon a predator ready for some tender morsels, the otters' mother shows them just how fierce a mother can be. The illustrations capture the beauty of each season and the animals' growth while the text describes vividly how they pass each day. The top of each page contains the otters' story while additional information in smaller font size is visible at the bottom of several pages. It's almost impossible not to want to join these otters as they twist, turn, leap, and play, and enjoy every day that they are alive. This title might serve as a good introductory text in a science unit on the animal kingdom or one devoted to predators. I was surprised to read that the otters had commandeered a house that had been fashioned by beavers in a previous year.
June 10, 2016
Unfortunately this is cataloged as non-fiction, and parents and teachers who don't know the wonders of non-fiction picture books will miss this. For those who do find it, they will get another treat from London, who whether he is writing about the immortal Froggy, or nature books like this, always succeeds in showing how it's done. The art by Meilo So is a perfect match to the text, with otters that are realistic but have a twinkle that makes them extra lovable. Author and illustrator make a good team, and I hope they'll work together again. By the way, anyone who likes this book and doesn't know the work of Jim Arnosky should find his books too. Fortunately those ARE shelved in the picture book section!
March 24, 2016
Interesting facts and lovely illustrations make this children's nonfiction book about otters a pleasure to read. Like I (Don't) Like Snakes by Nicola Davies, there is a dual narrative going on - the story of the otters and factual information behind the scenes, both with different fonts. What a friendly, fun, factual book!
March 3, 2016
Wonderful non-fiction picture book. Amazing, playful illustrations by Meilo So.
January 19, 2016
Playful non-fiction with exceptionally lovely illustrations.
July 11, 2016
I loved the illustrations and the different fonts they used. They had an index in the back as well as a nice list of otter facts. A wonderful little nice picture book.
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June 22, 2017For this book, I would use it in conjunction with a science lesson over animal habitats. This book discusses where otters live, what they do, and how they interact with on another. The twin text I would pair with it is the book I Am Otter by Sam Garton, published April 29th, 2014. This is the first in a fiction picture book series about an otter that was left on the doorstep of an otter keeper when she was a baby and depicts her adventures in the human world. The way I Am Otter would compliment Otters Love to Play is that it is both a lighter story to give the students a break from all the information they are receiving while I can also use it as a way to test their knowledge over what they have learned. I would do this by asking questions about how the otters in the nonfiction book compare to I Am Otter and whether or not the students think an otter would really act like that in the human world. I would also ask questions about otters natural habitats and why would it be bad for the otter to be raised in a human household and city. For example, at the beginning of Otters Love to Play, it talks about how otters live in rivers and eat fish. In I Am Otter, Otter lives in the city with a human and eats human foods. I would then ask the students whether or not it'd be okay to feed a real otter human food and why that may be a bad thing. By asking questions, I will be connecting the two stories for the students while also further imprinting the information given into their brains. I would also have the students create a Venn Diagram with both stories to see what similar elements they both had and where they differed and discuss some of those differences to see why they are or aren't real.
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June 22, 20184. Otters Love to Play by Jonathan London
Fiction Twin Text: Wargin, K. (2014). Otter out of water. Mankato, MN: Sleeping Bear Press.
This content-area crossover is definitely science as well. Ironically, both of my nonfiction books about animals were paired with fictional texts that involved the animals coming out of their natural environment (water) and interacting with humans. I thought that was really neat because those fictional books create interest and a more personal connection to the students who may never have seen or heard of the animals. They were able to see humans interact with the creatures in the fictional stories. The other twin text I thought about pairing was called The Otter Who Loved to Hold Hands by Heidi Howarth. I decided against it because I mainly wanted to choose it because it is extra adorable. However, after reading the nonfiction story, I found important elements that stuck out in that book. One is that otters love to play and the protection of family is very important. Unfortunately, that is beside the point. I would definitely use the selected fiction text, Otters Out of Water to enhance the students learning through the KWL method. The students may already have some background knowledge about otters, but I would read them the fictional story first so they could gain a bit more. We’d create a list for what we already know about otters from both our background knowledge and the fictional story. I would then ask the students what else they would like to learn and know about otters. Then, we would read the nonfiction text to see if what we learned and if we learned what we wanted to learn.
Reference:
Camp, D. (2000). It takes two: Teaching with twin texts of fact and fiction. The Reading Teacher, 53(5), pp. 400-408.
Fiction Twin Text: Wargin, K. (2014). Otter out of water. Mankato, MN: Sleeping Bear Press.
This content-area crossover is definitely science as well. Ironically, both of my nonfiction books about animals were paired with fictional texts that involved the animals coming out of their natural environment (water) and interacting with humans. I thought that was really neat because those fictional books create interest and a more personal connection to the students who may never have seen or heard of the animals. They were able to see humans interact with the creatures in the fictional stories. The other twin text I thought about pairing was called The Otter Who Loved to Hold Hands by Heidi Howarth. I decided against it because I mainly wanted to choose it because it is extra adorable. However, after reading the nonfiction story, I found important elements that stuck out in that book. One is that otters love to play and the protection of family is very important. Unfortunately, that is beside the point. I would definitely use the selected fiction text, Otters Out of Water to enhance the students learning through the KWL method. The students may already have some background knowledge about otters, but I would read them the fictional story first so they could gain a bit more. We’d create a list for what we already know about otters from both our background knowledge and the fictional story. I would then ask the students what else they would like to learn and know about otters. Then, we would read the nonfiction text to see if what we learned and if we learned what we wanted to learn.
Reference:
Camp, D. (2000). It takes two: Teaching with twin texts of fact and fiction. The Reading Teacher, 53(5), pp. 400-408.
November 4, 2017
Otters Love to Play is a non-fiction story that gives facts about the life of an otter from birth through the first year. This book is great because it is written in kid-friendly language and tells a story while giving facts and information about the topic. It uses two different fonts to show the difference between the story and the facts (even though the story does tell factual information). The illustrations are informative, but also enjoyable and make the book seem more fun and more like a story. It almost tricks you into learning something about otters.
This book is appropriate for any grade level, but would be great for K-2. This book could be used to teach about how there is fact in books that seem like stories. This book isn't great for text features, but it does have an index and makes a reference to the two different fonts for fact vs. story. I would point those things out to my students. I would use this book to guide my students in collecting facts about otters when we do research on an animal later in the year.
Otters Love to Play is a WOW book for me because it is engaging and fun, while still serving its purpose as a nonfiction text. I have been searching for a non-fiction book that isn't boring and doesn't read like a nonfiction book. Too often, nonfiction is read only for a specific purpose, and it was hard to find a nonfiction text that wowed me without a specific purpose in mind. I stumbled across this book in the library while I was checking out another nonfiction text and ended up choosing this one over the well-researched one I had gone for. I like the story feel of this book and think it is a great way to look at nonfiction.
This book is appropriate for any grade level, but would be great for K-2. This book could be used to teach about how there is fact in books that seem like stories. This book isn't great for text features, but it does have an index and makes a reference to the two different fonts for fact vs. story. I would point those things out to my students. I would use this book to guide my students in collecting facts about otters when we do research on an animal later in the year.
Otters Love to Play is a WOW book for me because it is engaging and fun, while still serving its purpose as a nonfiction text. I have been searching for a non-fiction book that isn't boring and doesn't read like a nonfiction book. Too often, nonfiction is read only for a specific purpose, and it was hard to find a nonfiction text that wowed me without a specific purpose in mind. I stumbled across this book in the library while I was checking out another nonfiction text and ended up choosing this one over the well-researched one I had gone for. I like the story feel of this book and think it is a great way to look at nonfiction.
July 21, 2017
Genre: Picture book (non-fiction)
Copyright: 2016
Age level of interest: 5-8 yrs old
Reading level: K-3 grade and up
Brief Description:
This non-fiction picture book teaches the reader about otters and how they love to play. Starts in the spring and takes you through four seasons with a playful story and fun facts.
Two Characteristics:
Setting: We see a family of otters living and playing through the seasons. Each season is beautifully depicted through water colors and is essential to the telling of both the story as well as the facts about otters.
Style: The style of the story is playful like the otters. The facts are written in a different space so that they can be read separately allowing the story to flow along by it's self. The illustrations in water color show movement of the animals, the wind, the water and the grass offering a "mirror" for our constantly moving young students.
Serving it's audience:
This book definately has the "awww..." factor. The otter family is cute and playful and always moving which will especially appeal to Kindegarten and 1st graders. It offers otter facts too balancing science and art beautifully - good for both the fact seekers and poetic dreamers alike.
Awards:
Red Clover nominee
Review:
School Library Journal - January 2016
Copyright: 2016
Age level of interest: 5-8 yrs old
Reading level: K-3 grade and up
Brief Description:
This non-fiction picture book teaches the reader about otters and how they love to play. Starts in the spring and takes you through four seasons with a playful story and fun facts.
Two Characteristics:
Setting: We see a family of otters living and playing through the seasons. Each season is beautifully depicted through water colors and is essential to the telling of both the story as well as the facts about otters.
Style: The style of the story is playful like the otters. The facts are written in a different space so that they can be read separately allowing the story to flow along by it's self. The illustrations in water color show movement of the animals, the wind, the water and the grass offering a "mirror" for our constantly moving young students.
Serving it's audience:
This book definately has the "awww..." factor. The otter family is cute and playful and always moving which will especially appeal to Kindegarten and 1st graders. It offers otter facts too balancing science and art beautifully - good for both the fact seekers and poetic dreamers alike.
Awards:
Red Clover nominee
Review:
School Library Journal - January 2016
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June 20, 2017I paired Otters Love to Play with the twin text Close at Heart: A Sea Otter Story by Jill Turner 2015. This could be used for a science content crossover. I choose this book because it is a fun way to learn about animals we often don't hear about. In order to connect these books I can use the Venn Diagram strategy. These books have many different facts to use a Venn Diagram. You could split up the 2 circles into Otters and Humans and how we are different to them. The middle box could be how we are similar. These 2 books are similar because they both have different outlooks on Otters that students probably don't know about. They also both talk about the different types of things Otters do to keep warm and how they get their food. This book also gives many facts about Otters that I didn't know. For example, Otters are born blind and toothless we could connect this to a Venn Diagram because babies are also born toothless. This enhances my nonfiction book because it shows prior knowledge about Otters that students could connect with if they are having trouble reading the book.
December 27, 2019
Almost a year in the life of an otter family, from when the pups are born to when the snow is on the ground. The mom and pups are shown nursing, learning to swim and playing with simple sentences telling the otters' story along with side facts on otters in general.
I was expecting a little more, like the young otters leaving the den and finding their own, but cuts off just before spring. Otherwise, cute pictures (It's otters, so how do you go wrong?) and good (if limited) info.
No content issues.
June 15, 2023
Love…. This book about river otters is very engaging with lots of information. The illustrations are playful and not quite as realistic as some of other Jonathan London’s books (I prefer the magical realism, but this playful and almost realistic version was nice too). The kids giggled often learning about the antics of the otters. Definitely informative, and plenty of quality with both content and illustrations.
September 25, 2017
A fun nonfiction choice! The main text describes and explains how otters love to play. Secondary text offers more facts and information. Not quite multi-genre since the narrative text is realistic and factual, but it has a multi-genre feel. Animal lovers will delight in this amusing introduction to otters. Recommended for grades K - 2.
February 12, 2019
Follow a litter of river otters from birth to a year old as they grow and learn and play. Readers learn otter characteristics, habitat, and eating preferences as they grow through four seasons.
A cute and informative introduction to river otters with fantastic illustrations. Highly recommended to curious readers and animal lovers.
A cute and informative introduction to river otters with fantastic illustrations. Highly recommended to curious readers and animal lovers.
February 3, 2023
Dad: this book has a main storyline in bold print with extra facts in small print. I like the option to dive deeper if you want. But even the extra facts are pretty brief. Pretty cool. Solid “3.something” score.
Ben: was pretty disinterested when I was reading the bold and small print, but I think he tuned in when I started skipping the facts in small print.
Ben: was pretty disinterested when I was reading the bold and small print, but I think he tuned in when I started skipping the facts in small print.
December 16, 2017
I am so excited for more books such as this! The larger text makes this book more readable for the younger ages and the extra facts are there for when the older students want to know more. Plus, the illustrations are fantastic.
February 15, 2018
Otters are my favorite animal and I still learned new things from this book. I think this book is interesting and informative. Plus, the pictures are adorable! I also enjoyed watching the seasons change as the book went on. I will likely add this to my personal collection.
November 21, 2023
This was a very informative story that had tons of great facts about otters; I really feel like I learned a lot of things that I didn’t know about otters before. I loved the illustrations in this story too.
January 26, 2024
Another non-fiction and another winner, not quite as good as the hippopotamus book, but still very interesting and well put together. London should do more non-fiction and less of the anthropomorphic fiction.
February 20, 2017
Playful, expressive, and inviting watercolors. Both main narrative and informational asides are fun and interesting.
May 25, 2018
Adorable! My class loved the story
June 4, 2018
This was a really cute little book, that I expected to be frivolous, but actually contained a large amount of facts regarding Otters!
August 20, 2018
Tells the readers facts of growing otters through the seasons.
January 20, 2019
Cute. Like the otters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews