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Little Beaver and the Echo
Little Beaver's call for some friends is echoed across the pond, and in his quest to find the potential companion, he finds new friends--a duck, an otter, and a turtle--and adventures
26 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1990
3 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Amy MacDonald
41 books11 followersAmy MacDonald is an American author of children's books. Her works include Little Beaver and the Echo, which has been translated into many languages around the world, and Rachel Fister's Blister. Her first book, a satire of Jill Krementz's children's books, was A Very Young Housewife.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
June 12, 2019
Little Beaver and the Echo is a lovely picture book by the American children’s author, Amy MacDonald. It tells the story of a lonely little beaver, who is in need of a friend. A favourite since 1990, Little Beaver and the Echo has been translated into 28 languages around the world, and won awards. There are now other stories about Little Beaver, suitable for children around 4 year and over. They are beautifully illustrated by one of my favourite picture book artists, the British artist, Sarah Fox-Davies.
Little Beaver lived all by himself, on the edge of a big pond. He didn’t have a single friend in the whole wide world. One day he began to sob his heart out, and as the tears just kept falling, he heard a very strange sound.
Across the lake, someone else was also crying their heart out. Every time Little Beaver started with his boo hoos, so did this other voice, and every time he stopped, they did too.
“Why are you crying?” asked Little Beaver, but the question came straight back to him, so he thought about it for a while.
“‘I’m lonely,’ he said. ‘I need a friend.’’’
And what do you know? The voice across the pond said exactly the same thing! So Little Beaver got straight into his boat, and set off to find whoever it was, who was crying and lonely, just like Little Beaver felt.
On his journey, he met a duck, who was also lonely and needed a friend.
“‘I’ll be your friend’ said Little Beaver. ‘Come with me!’”, and the duck jumped into the boat. They also came across an otter, and then a turtle, and each of them was lonely too! But all three animals said in turn:
“I do need a friend, but it wasn’t me who was crying.”
Would Little Beaver ever find the voice who made the crying sound, and make a friend at last? The answer is provided by the next creature they meet.
This is a sweet story about new friendships, which every little child can relate to. Part of its appeal is the time-honoured structure, which children love. Part of the story is repeated three times, with new characters being added. English children will also be fascinated by the setting. Although we do have beavers in the UK, they are rare, and considered very special. The landscape depicted is also similar enough for children to recognise the elements, but mountains with conifer forests next to a lake are hardly common.
But the most attractive feature of this book is undeniably the illustrations. Sarah Fox-Davies’s work is always detailed, carefully drawn, and immensely appealing. A Londoner by birth, she followed her training as a graphic artist there. She had a particular interest in natural history, and focused on illustrating animals in their natural environments. These include beavers, bears, bats, cats, wolves and even a caribou, all of which she brings to life in her work with great sensitivity.
Sarah Fox-Davies has the rare talent of making her illustrations cute and adorable, whilst retaining their accuracy. In fact her drawings are so reliable that her work has appeared in leading wildlife publications, and she also regularly contributes illustrations to field guides and gardening books. She works in watercolour, using a muted palette, to create the detail of her winsome furry, feather and scaly animals in the foreground, set against the more impressionistic, softly glowing landscapes in the distance.
In contrast to her early life, Sarah Fox-Davies now lives in Wales, in the country, where she says there are “a few people and quite a lot of rabbits”. She has illustrated several more picture books for children, as well as this gentle tale. Another picture book I have reviewed, which is illustrated by her, is “Snow Bears” by Martin Waddell.
Little Beaver lived all by himself, on the edge of a big pond. He didn’t have a single friend in the whole wide world. One day he began to sob his heart out, and as the tears just kept falling, he heard a very strange sound.
Across the lake, someone else was also crying their heart out. Every time Little Beaver started with his boo hoos, so did this other voice, and every time he stopped, they did too.
“Why are you crying?” asked Little Beaver, but the question came straight back to him, so he thought about it for a while.
“‘I’m lonely,’ he said. ‘I need a friend.’’’
And what do you know? The voice across the pond said exactly the same thing! So Little Beaver got straight into his boat, and set off to find whoever it was, who was crying and lonely, just like Little Beaver felt.
On his journey, he met a duck, who was also lonely and needed a friend.
“‘I’ll be your friend’ said Little Beaver. ‘Come with me!’”, and the duck jumped into the boat. They also came across an otter, and then a turtle, and each of them was lonely too! But all three animals said in turn:
“I do need a friend, but it wasn’t me who was crying.”
Would Little Beaver ever find the voice who made the crying sound, and make a friend at last? The answer is provided by the next creature they meet.
This is a sweet story about new friendships, which every little child can relate to. Part of its appeal is the time-honoured structure, which children love. Part of the story is repeated three times, with new characters being added. English children will also be fascinated by the setting. Although we do have beavers in the UK, they are rare, and considered very special. The landscape depicted is also similar enough for children to recognise the elements, but mountains with conifer forests next to a lake are hardly common.
But the most attractive feature of this book is undeniably the illustrations. Sarah Fox-Davies’s work is always detailed, carefully drawn, and immensely appealing. A Londoner by birth, she followed her training as a graphic artist there. She had a particular interest in natural history, and focused on illustrating animals in their natural environments. These include beavers, bears, bats, cats, wolves and even a caribou, all of which she brings to life in her work with great sensitivity.
Sarah Fox-Davies has the rare talent of making her illustrations cute and adorable, whilst retaining their accuracy. In fact her drawings are so reliable that her work has appeared in leading wildlife publications, and she also regularly contributes illustrations to field guides and gardening books. She works in watercolour, using a muted palette, to create the detail of her winsome furry, feather and scaly animals in the foreground, set against the more impressionistic, softly glowing landscapes in the distance.
In contrast to her early life, Sarah Fox-Davies now lives in Wales, in the country, where she says there are “a few people and quite a lot of rabbits”. She has illustrated several more picture books for children, as well as this gentle tale. Another picture book I have reviewed, which is illustrated by her, is “Snow Bears” by Martin Waddell.
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April 28, 2016I've had this book since I was a child, I believe my Mum bought it before my older sisters were born and we've had the same copy of the book ever since. It's a beautiful story about loneliness and friendship. I don't usually write reviews that are just an outline of the story but in this case I feel like the story just speaks for itself.
It's the story of Little Beaver, who lives all alone by the edge of a pond. He doesn't have any friends and is incredibly lonely. One day, when he starts to cry, he hears someone else crying too. So Little Beaver sets off to find this kindred spirit. Along the way, he's joined by a duck, an otter and a turtle, who each claim, "I do need a friend, but it wasn't me who was crying." Once he reaches the other side, he discovers that there was no one else crying. It was his own echo. However, on his journey to find the echo he did in fact make friends.
It's the story of Little Beaver, who lives all alone by the edge of a pond. He doesn't have any friends and is incredibly lonely. One day, when he starts to cry, he hears someone else crying too. So Little Beaver sets off to find this kindred spirit. Along the way, he's joined by a duck, an otter and a turtle, who each claim, "I do need a friend, but it wasn't me who was crying." Once he reaches the other side, he discovers that there was no one else crying. It was his own echo. However, on his journey to find the echo he did in fact make friends.
March 18, 2022
Delightful illustrations by Sarah Fox-Davies complement the lovely text by Amy MacDonald.
Little Beaver lives by the edge of a big pond and one day he cries loudly only to hear a similar cry come from the other side of the pond. Just after he goes 'Boo-hoo', a voice from across the pond does the same.
He tries other things, shouting 'Hello' for instance and 'Hello' comes back to him. He says that he needs a friend and the voice from the other side (as it were!) says the same. He wonders who this other voice belongs to, so he sets out in his little boat to investigate.
His investigations lead him to a duck, an otter, and a turtle but they all tell him that they are not responsible for the other voice. But they do agree to help him find whose voice it is.
Eventually, with the help of a wise old beaver, he discovers the secret but by that time he has gathered three new friends! A delightful little story with a feel good factor at the end.
Little Beaver lives by the edge of a big pond and one day he cries loudly only to hear a similar cry come from the other side of the pond. Just after he goes 'Boo-hoo', a voice from across the pond does the same.
He tries other things, shouting 'Hello' for instance and 'Hello' comes back to him. He says that he needs a friend and the voice from the other side (as it were!) says the same. He wonders who this other voice belongs to, so he sets out in his little boat to investigate.
His investigations lead him to a duck, an otter, and a turtle but they all tell him that they are not responsible for the other voice. But they do agree to help him find whose voice it is.
Eventually, with the help of a wise old beaver, he discovers the secret but by that time he has gathered three new friends! A delightful little story with a feel good factor at the end.
October 24, 2011
Little Beaver is all alone. He has no friends, no family, and he feels so lonely that he begins to cry. Then, from across the pond, he can hear some body else crying too. Little Beaver feels a little less lonely now, and sets off in his boat to befriend the lonely individual across the pond. Along the way he meets and befriends a duck, an otter and a turtle. They are lonely too. It's only when Little Beaver turns to a wise old beaver for advice, that he learns that he will never find The Echo that was crying at the other side of the pond, but that in his quest to find The Echo, he did indeed find friendship.
This is an absolutely lovely book about lonliness and the human need for friendship, and is a reminder to all of us that we all need companionship. Children in early years foundation stage would enjoy looking at the beautiful water colour illustrations and could relate to the story as it is read to them, and confident readers in upper key stage one could enjoy this independantly.
This is an absolutely lovely book about lonliness and the human need for friendship, and is a reminder to all of us that we all need companionship. Children in early years foundation stage would enjoy looking at the beautiful water colour illustrations and could relate to the story as it is read to them, and confident readers in upper key stage one could enjoy this independantly.
March 4, 2024
HOO HOO WAAH LITTLE BEAVER
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October 26, 2017I really like Little Beaver and The Echo, it has such and simple message that can convey so many feelings that many in the class both teacher and pupils will have experienced more than once in their life. It is simply written and accompanied by stunning illustrations. It is a sad starter but ends happily. Definitely one of my favourites.
The book is about Little Beaver, at the beginning he has no friends and is stuck on a side of a very big lake. He finds himself alone and upset with no friends and begins to shout, each time he shouts he gets a reply, but copying exactly what he has said, so he sets off in his boat to find this person/animal. On his adventure he finds a duck, an otter and a tortoise, they weren’t the ones crying back to Little Beaver but they needed friends so they accompany Little beaver on his quest to find this person; until they fine Wise Beaver. Wise Beaver explains to Little Beaver that Echo will never be found but he is happy when you are and sad when you are etc. During this time Little Beaver realises that all the animals he meets on his trip are his friends and the Echo is happy for all of them.
This book is told in the third person, with a great mixture of narrative writing and speech. To help children understand the book a previous experience of feeling of lonely and ‘friendless’ would really enhance the meaning of the book, but also understanding happy and sad emotions. The most complex idea in the book is the concept of an echo, this may be hard to understand if one hasn’t been experienced before so having experienced an echo would help.
The illustrations add more detail and understanding to the text. The first pages of the book, Little Beaver is sad and alone on the side of the pond; the illustration shows how small Little Beaver is and how big the pond is, it also looks as if beaver is hanging his head as if one would when they are sad. The pictures giving a simple and expressive image to support the text, they are also easily understandable for any age. Simple aspects like facial expressions and body postures are included. Even small details such as characters holding hands and being close to each other show friendship and Little Beaver leaning forward and scrunching his hands when shouting.
I feel that this book would be best read aloud; allowing the children to listen and study the images without having to focus on anything else. With a strong main message around the book (there are always people to be friends with you don’t have to be lonely) it could be used cross-curricular with English and certainly PSHE. It would be a good book for the beginning of Christmas term, especially with KS1, the book being an explanation to the children that everyone will have friends and we should all be friends and that everybody is there for each other. This would not be a book that I would use for shared reading. With older age groups this could be used for guided reading, getting the students to look closely at the text and the images and how they work with each other and how the small details make such an impact (such as facial expressions).
In terms of a writing model, this book shows that stories don’t have to be “she went and did this” or “he went and did that”. They can be told from the mouth of the story teller, but still using speech and varying punctuation; but also keeping a story that flows, having a mixture of speech and narrative.
The book is about Little Beaver, at the beginning he has no friends and is stuck on a side of a very big lake. He finds himself alone and upset with no friends and begins to shout, each time he shouts he gets a reply, but copying exactly what he has said, so he sets off in his boat to find this person/animal. On his adventure he finds a duck, an otter and a tortoise, they weren’t the ones crying back to Little Beaver but they needed friends so they accompany Little beaver on his quest to find this person; until they fine Wise Beaver. Wise Beaver explains to Little Beaver that Echo will never be found but he is happy when you are and sad when you are etc. During this time Little Beaver realises that all the animals he meets on his trip are his friends and the Echo is happy for all of them.
This book is told in the third person, with a great mixture of narrative writing and speech. To help children understand the book a previous experience of feeling of lonely and ‘friendless’ would really enhance the meaning of the book, but also understanding happy and sad emotions. The most complex idea in the book is the concept of an echo, this may be hard to understand if one hasn’t been experienced before so having experienced an echo would help.
The illustrations add more detail and understanding to the text. The first pages of the book, Little Beaver is sad and alone on the side of the pond; the illustration shows how small Little Beaver is and how big the pond is, it also looks as if beaver is hanging his head as if one would when they are sad. The pictures giving a simple and expressive image to support the text, they are also easily understandable for any age. Simple aspects like facial expressions and body postures are included. Even small details such as characters holding hands and being close to each other show friendship and Little Beaver leaning forward and scrunching his hands when shouting.
I feel that this book would be best read aloud; allowing the children to listen and study the images without having to focus on anything else. With a strong main message around the book (there are always people to be friends with you don’t have to be lonely) it could be used cross-curricular with English and certainly PSHE. It would be a good book for the beginning of Christmas term, especially with KS1, the book being an explanation to the children that everyone will have friends and we should all be friends and that everybody is there for each other. This would not be a book that I would use for shared reading. With older age groups this could be used for guided reading, getting the students to look closely at the text and the images and how they work with each other and how the small details make such an impact (such as facial expressions).
In terms of a writing model, this book shows that stories don’t have to be “she went and did this” or “he went and did that”. They can be told from the mouth of the story teller, but still using speech and varying punctuation; but also keeping a story that flows, having a mixture of speech and narrative.
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June 27, 2017This was my all time favourite book as a child. My mother had to read it to me several times a day, until I knew all the words by heart (and she did, too). Even today I sometimes pick the book up again and enjoy the cute illustrations and story, which is super relatable to everyone who's ever felt lonely. As a kid, I was especially fascinated by the echo, as I had no idea what it was ;) I adore this book and the memories it gives me!
August 3, 2022
4 sterren - Nederlandse hardcover
Recensie volgt later.
Recensie volgt later.
August 14, 2020
I love this book. For some reason it always makes me want to cry. The little beaver is just so sweet man.
February 26, 2020
Part of the Little Beaver books by Amy McDonald, this story proves pop psychology wrong again: that someone who sounds like an echo...has "no friends"? This is hogwash, as Amy shows. A little Beaver is very lonely, no mom, no siblings, and no friends whatsoever. In desperation he cries out across his lake for a friend and hears another voice, just like his own, hollering back his exact words. Words like, Are you lonely? Words like, I need a friend. He decides to shove off into the river to seek who it was, and links up with an otter, a turtle and two other rodent creatures, none of whom have made the cry, yet all promise friendship. Finally the older Beaver says to little Beaver that the creature with his voice is called The Echo. Anything you say, the Echo says back. And when you are sad, so is the Echo. When you're happy again, so is the Echo. Little Beaver soon finds how one voice can bring friends together. That though every person lives and dies alone, none of us are that alone at all. We are all one, all one voice, all one world. This I feel is why a new McDonald has the farm, and it echoes ee-yi-ee-yi--OH YEAH!
Four stars
Leave it to a little beaver to rock!
Four stars
Leave it to a little beaver to rock!
January 16, 2019
This story was told as narrative based on a tale of a beaver who was lonely and heard a voice across the water. He wanted to meet the person and he found friends on the way, but when he got to the other end of the pond he spoke to a wise beaver and realised that the person across the pond was his voice echoing.
The Illustrations are beautiful with fine brush strokes. The illustrated has carefully thought about details; shadowing on the pond, the colours on the mountains and different shades for the grass and trees.
The text is good for introducing children to spoken language, it helps the children to understand how to communicate with people using friendly language.
The Illustrations are beautiful with fine brush strokes. The illustrated has carefully thought about details; shadowing on the pond, the colours on the mountains and different shades for the grass and trees.
The text is good for introducing children to spoken language, it helps the children to understand how to communicate with people using friendly language.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2018
Little Beaver is lonely and looking for friends. When he yells across the lake he hears a reply that also wants to find friends. Little Beaver paddles around the lake, meeting different animals along the way, and eventually an older beaver that explains a little about the Echo on the other side of the lake.
A super cute picture book, with BEAUTIFUL illustrations. Be sure to pay attention to these, the drawings do a great job of showing each animal's personality.
A super cute picture book, with BEAUTIFUL illustrations. Be sure to pay attention to these, the drawings do a great job of showing each animal's personality.
September 27, 2019
I remember reading this picture book as a young child at home. After re-reading it today, I realised the importance of its simple message of friendship. The little beaver is upset as he doesn't have any friends, but does discover his echo. On his way to meet his echo, he befriends many animals along the way. The repetition is great for young children and shows how being friends with people can make them happy.
November 7, 2025
Història molt agradable i molt tendre, amb esquema repetitiu que tracta sobre l'amistat i la cerca d'aquesta per part d'un petit castor.
Molt agradable, tendre i fàcil de llegir i amb unes il·lustracions hiperrealistes que al mateix temps són molt tendres i amb una textures dels animals, realment espectaculars.
Entre molt bon fons d'armari i imprescindible a tot cicle inicial de primària.
Molt agradable, tendre i fàcil de llegir i amb unes il·lustracions hiperrealistes que al mateix temps són molt tendres i amb una textures dels animals, realment espectaculars.
Entre molt bon fons d'armari i imprescindible a tot cicle inicial de primària.
June 11, 2017
So cute!
August 25, 2017
Read this with my little boy and we both loved it.
September 19, 2017
Genre: Fiction
Grade: PreK-3
A cute read with lots of character's, therefore making an exciting and engaging read aloud text.
Grade: PreK-3
A cute read with lots of character's, therefore making an exciting and engaging read aloud text.
January 22, 2018
One of the most beautiful little stories with superb artwork.
August 30, 2018
Sweet little book about friendship with beautiful illustrations.
September 19, 2018
A lovely story of friendship
November 23, 2018
Super leuk kinderboek om voor te lezen. Ik heb dit boek voorgelezen aan de kleuters op mijn stage
March 28, 2019
This is everything a children’s book should be: beautifully illustrated, engaging, with a wonderful lesson at the end! One of my favourites! I highly recommend it!
September 24, 2019
Emotional rollercoaster
October 15, 2019
Beautiful painted illustrations. Story about friendship. Nice characters to discuss, draw etc
November 4, 2019
Such beautiful illustrations with care and detail . Lovely introduction of different animals beaver meets along the way to find the animal behind the echo.
October 14, 2021
Adorable book about friendship.
January 2, 2022
Beautiful story with a tint of wisdom.
January 8, 2022
I haven’t read this since I was a child, and for some reason it made me cry.
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February 7, 2022BookTree
S&E loved!
S&E loved!
March 2, 2022
What a great book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews