What do you think?
Rate this book
Oscar Otter
0scar Otter builds his very own slide, far up in the mountains. No one can bother him there. Not even his family. But Oscar doesn't know he is in danger. His enemy, the fox, is watching. But what the fox doesn't know is that someone is watching him....
64 pages, Paperback
First published April 27, 1966
About the author
Nathaniel Benchley
80 books26 followersBorn in Newton, Massachusetts to a literary family, he was the son of Gertrude Darling and Robert Benchley (1889-1945), the noted American writer, humorist, critic, actor, and one of the founders of the Algonquin Round Table in New York City.
Nathaniel Benchley was the highly-respected author of many children's/juvenile books that provided learning for the youthful readers with stories of various animals or through the book's historical settings. Benchley dealt with diverse locales and topics such as "Bright Candles", which recounts the experiences of a 16-year-old Danish boy during the German occupation of his country in World War II; and "Small Wolf", a story about a Native American boy who meets white men on the island of Manhattan and learns that their ideas about land are different from those of his own peoples'.
Film director/producer, Norman Jewison made Benchley's 1961 novel The Off-Islanders into a motion picture titled The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming for which he received the nomination for an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay. He was a close friend of actor Humphrey Bogart and wrote his biography in 1975.
Benchley's novel Welcome to Xanadu was made into the 1975 motion picture Sweet Hostage.
His elder son, Peter Benchley (1940-2006), was a writer best known for writing the novel Jaws and the screenplay of the 1975 Steven Spielberg film made from it. His younger son, Nat Benchley, is a writer and actor who has portrayed his grandfather, Robert Benchley, in a one-man, semi-biographical stage show, "Benchley Despite Himself". The show was a compilation of Robert Benchley's best monologues, short films, radio rantings and pithy pieces as recalled, edited, and acted by his grandson Nat, and combined with family reminiscences and friends' perspectives."
Nathaniel Benchley died in 1981 in Boston, Massachusetts and was interred in the family plot at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Nantucket.
Nathaniel Benchley was the highly-respected author of many children's/juvenile books that provided learning for the youthful readers with stories of various animals or through the book's historical settings. Benchley dealt with diverse locales and topics such as "Bright Candles", which recounts the experiences of a 16-year-old Danish boy during the German occupation of his country in World War II; and "Small Wolf", a story about a Native American boy who meets white men on the island of Manhattan and learns that their ideas about land are different from those of his own peoples'.
Film director/producer, Norman Jewison made Benchley's 1961 novel The Off-Islanders into a motion picture titled The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming for which he received the nomination for an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay. He was a close friend of actor Humphrey Bogart and wrote his biography in 1975.
Benchley's novel Welcome to Xanadu was made into the 1975 motion picture Sweet Hostage.
His elder son, Peter Benchley (1940-2006), was a writer best known for writing the novel Jaws and the screenplay of the 1975 Steven Spielberg film made from it. His younger son, Nat Benchley, is a writer and actor who has portrayed his grandfather, Robert Benchley, in a one-man, semi-biographical stage show, "Benchley Despite Himself". The show was a compilation of Robert Benchley's best monologues, short films, radio rantings and pithy pieces as recalled, edited, and acted by his grandson Nat, and combined with family reminiscences and friends' perspectives."
Nathaniel Benchley died in 1981 in Boston, Massachusetts and was interred in the family plot at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Nantucket.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
March 23, 2019
Oscar enjoyed playing on the otter slide, slipping and sliding down to the water with his fellow pups. But when the slide is blocked by a tree, he disregards his father's warning and decides to build a new one on the mountainside. This new slide is quite long, extending to the very summit of the mountain, and takes him quite a while to create. When he is finally done, one wintry night, he finds himself pursued by a fox, who is in turn pursued by a wolf, who is pursued by a mountain lion, who is watched by a moose. Will Oscar get back to his lake in time, or will he be caught...?
An early reader that I greatly enjoyed as a child, Oscar Otter was first published in 1966, and is illustrated by the marvelous Arnold Lobel, creator of such classic characters as Frog and Toad . The humor of the tale, in which a series of progressively larger animals follow one another, always appealed to me, and held up on this adult rereading. The moose, in particular, who thinks he's part of a circus parade at first, only to conclude that all of the rest of the animals are crazy, always makes me chuckle. The conclusion of the story, in which Oscar safely reaches home, was always deeply satisfying to me as a child. The artwork, as could be expected from Lobel, is immensely appealing. Recommended to anyone looking for good early readers featuring animal fiction.
An early reader that I greatly enjoyed as a child, Oscar Otter was first published in 1966, and is illustrated by the marvelous Arnold Lobel, creator of such classic characters as Frog and Toad . The humor of the tale, in which a series of progressively larger animals follow one another, always appealed to me, and held up on this adult rereading. The moose, in particular, who thinks he's part of a circus parade at first, only to conclude that all of the rest of the animals are crazy, always makes me chuckle. The conclusion of the story, in which Oscar safely reaches home, was always deeply satisfying to me as a child. The artwork, as could be expected from Lobel, is immensely appealing. Recommended to anyone looking for good early readers featuring animal fiction.
November 17, 2019
This is a great story for beginner readers and it teaches a wonderful lesson to children.
May 1, 2019
An adventure story for early readers. An intro to otters. A little suspense and a little humor.
Our kids will like the references to moose (we encounter them frequently), but unfortunately, we seldom see beavers any more.
Our kids will like the references to moose (we encounter them frequently), but unfortunately, we seldom see beavers any more.
January 24, 2019
Funny... as a child I would have loved the otter being stalked by the fox who was stalked by... etc... and finally the moose, who in three sentences totally steals the book. The beaver is a good character, too. Young Oscar ain't much, though... and the lesson he learns is to be content at home, which just isn't one I can empathize with or recommend.
Seriously, though, my inner child and I both want a book featuring the moose.
Seriously, though, my inner child and I both want a book featuring the moose.
March 4, 2014
I like this story so much I had to read it twice just to make sure. Oscar Otter thinks he can climb a mountain on his own without getting lost in the forest. Little does he know such animals as the local fox, the mountain lion and a moose want him for breakfast! Watch out, Oscar! Very good for kids.
July 22, 2016
Note to self: published in 1966
August 24, 2021
Mildly entertaining story of the eponymous character, his desire to build a super, secret slide, and the trouble it gets him into--mainly an amusing sequence of progressively bigger predators all on each others' tails (well, except the Moose--not really a predator). Arnold Lobel has done better art, though his work here is fine. I'm not keen on the story's morals--don't try to be too smart, and be content with what you have--though I suppose there is some merit to both of those ideas, at least if you want to encourage kids to fit in and not expect too much, not to push themselves but just to passively accept the hardships and reversals of the world.
August 24, 2021
A nice little book for early readers. If you adore otters as I do, this book will delight. A fairly typical, don't do that it will have consequences plot. Oscar doesn't listen to his father and almost gets eaten, but gets away and learns to appreciate home in the end. In addition to delightful Oscar, a moose figures prominently in the plot...
September 30, 2019
Oscar Otter didn't like that the beaver's cut down trees blocked his slide. Oscar wouldn't listen to his father to make a new slide near water, and chose to build one far from the pond. That put him in danger. Great illustrations.
April 21, 2023
A wonderful early reader picture book about a little otter who wants to build the biggest slide he can, and the danger that comes along the way. He will learn valuable lesson about staying in your own lane.
April 7, 2018
It is a great book. I asked my daughter what good things and bad things Oscar did. Also, a smart and cute beaver.
April 5, 2019
Not a fan of the lesson taught, or rather how the lesson is summed up.
June 29, 2019
Fun and cute little book for a quick read with a little one.
February 2, 2021
This is a Wonderful Children's book! I first read it when I was just little and found it again several years ago when my first nephew was born. :)
October 20, 2022
A young otter makes his own slide to enjoy... Perhaps a bit too far from home.
May 27, 2023
SO CUTEEEEE i love otters (esp sea otters but i like any type)
October 10, 2007
This was one of my very favorite books when I was a child. I LOVED IT! I can still recite the first line or two: "Oscar the Otter was a young otter. He lived by the side of the pond." My mother must have had this book burned into her eyeballs by the time I outgrew it--and I hope to do the same for my children someday.
December 28, 2009
I bought this book on a whim because I like otters.
ha! it was SO much fun! The artwork is pretty minimal, but it's beautiful. And the moose is my favorite character! What a fun book. Definitely read this with your kids... or if you're an adult like me and you want to just enjoy five minutes of a cute book.
ha! it was SO much fun! The artwork is pretty minimal, but it's beautiful. And the moose is my favorite character! What a fun book. Definitely read this with your kids... or if you're an adult like me and you want to just enjoy five minutes of a cute book.
April 8, 2013
Oscar Otter has a simple plot with a traditional moral to it's story. I really enjoyed the simple ink pen and watercolor illustrations with short word phrases, making it both a figurative and literal page-turner.
March 28, 2009
I really good story for beginning readers or read aloud to the younger ones. Lots of exciting fun.
May 23, 2009
Silly story about an otter who disobeys his father and goes off to have an exciting adventure. I'm not sure if this was meant to teach a lesson or what, but I wasn't overly impressed.
June 13, 2011
Loses a star for the ending. Don't be smart??
March 5, 2013
the story seems to be a bit too week.. and kids didn't like it.
August 21, 2013
Fantastic little story:)
Read
May 22, 2014x2
May 14, 2015
I collect otters and my daughter needed a new book...guess what we read a lot of?
July 26, 2016
Kind of cute. Nothing special.
Want to Read
May 24, 2018코너스톤
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews