The Sinking of Captain Otter

by Troy Wilson, Maira Chiodi (Illustrations)

Kelpy is an otter--and also a passionate sea captain. He builds himself a ship that he adores, from keel to cabin to crow's nest. All the other otters and pirates and sharks just laugh at Kelpy's ramshackle craft, but Kelpy sails on. Until one day on the high seas, he encounters a sailor even more laughable than himself--a petite butterfly pirate in a teeny-tiny boat.

Kelpy's laughter shifts to empathy when he realizes how much he has hurt the tiny pirate's feelings. So Kelpy decides to scuttle his beloved boat in a playful ploy to repair the emotional damage he's done. Along the way, an unlikely friendship (and rivalry) begins.

Packed with rhyme, repetition, and lots of humor, this is a read-aloud with a heartwarming message about following your dreams even in the face of ridicule and doubt, and how even an underdog can lift someone up.

Genres: Picture Books, Pirates, Adventure, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2018

About the author

Author of 10 picture books, including STILL FRIENDS, HAT CAT, and PERFECT MAN.

Reviews

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE SINKING OF CAPTAIN OTTER is a delightful read-aloud about Kelpy, a sea otter, and his friendship with a butterfly pirate in a teeny-tiny boat. A heartwarming tale filled with rhyme, repetition, and lots of fun.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#OwlkidsBooks #NetGalley

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kelpy is an otter who loves to sail. He builds himself a ship out of scraps. Everyone, other otters, pirates, sharks and even the waves laugh at him and his ship. This hurts his feelings and he feels sad, but he loves his shop and off he sails. During his travels, he comes across a tiny ship captained by a butterfly. The butterfly tries to sink him and he laughs at him. When Kelpy realizes that he has made the butterfly feel bad, just like the others had done to him, he comes up with a solution. He does something about it and ends up becoming good friends/rivals with the butterfly captain. This story is short and cute (a good length for a bedtime story). The illustrations are fun and colourful. My grandson liked this story. He thought it was funny that an Otter had a boat, knowing that they know how to swim. A good story for a classroom or family library. The publisher, Owlkids Books, provided me with a copy of this book to read. The opinions stated are my own.

[Anne Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book starts traditionally enough, with a predictable pattern. Kelpy, our otter protagonist, loves his ship. However, an otter sea captain is just too weird for other otters, pirates, and even waves, to fathom. They all laugh and laugh at poor Kelpy who only cries in response, until he meets a pirate named Butterbeard who threatens to sink his ship and the roles reverse to an absurd extreme.

Good children's literature teaches kids how to empathize with others; teaching empathy seems to be Mr. Wilson's intent here, though I can't help but consider this book a failure in this regard. The storyline is just too confusing and bizarre for most children to learn how to treat others empathically. My guess is that while some kids might chuckle after reading this book, most will leave it on the library shelves after only one read. And some will just be left scratching their heads.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will first say, I love anything with otters and these illustrations were super adorable! Kelpy is Captain Otter! He built his ship out of scraps, and he was quite proud of it too! He loved his ship from “keel to crow’s nest.” But not everyone did. The otters laughed at him, the pirates laughed at him and even the waves laughed at Kelpy’s Ship. That’s ok, Kelpy just “straightened his hat and sailed on.”
He then battles the blistering butterbeard! A butterfly pirate, of course!
What’s not to love with this silly pirate tale!?
Thanks so much to OwlKids Books and NetGalley for this e-copy! It was lots of fun to read!
This will be featured on my blog on December 4, 2019.
www.colecampfireblog.com
LanaLCole@yahoo.com

[Storywraps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelpy, the otter, adores ships, sailing the deep blue sea and hopefully being a hearty sea captain. He decides to built a ship out of this and that and sail off into the unknown.

The other otters laugh and scoff at his workmanship (and at him).

"Kelpy sighed a little.
He cried a little.
But he loved his ship.
He loved her from keel
to cabin
to crow's nest.
So he took a deep breath,
straightened his hat,
and sailed on."


Did those hurtful words and gestures deter him? No way....Kelby is determined and off he sails to fulfill his dream. Along the way scruffy pirates mock and taunt him, sharks make fun of him and even the waves ridicule him but he presses on.


"Kelpy sighed a little.
He cried a little.
But he loved his ship.
He loved her from keel
to cabin
to crow's nest.
So he took a deep breath,
straightened his hat,
and sailed on."

One day he comes upon a pathetic want-to-be sailor:

"Arrr!" came a shout.
"I be Blistering Blastering Butterbeard.
Prepare to be sunk!"

Oh my! This sounds very dangerous. Kelpy discovers the voice is coming from a small butterfly pirate in an itty-bitsy boat. Kelpy ignites into fits of laughter and fingerpointing... just exactly how he has been treated by those disbelievers around him. The tiny butterfly suddenly bursts into tears because his feelings are so badly hurt.

All of a sudden Kelpy comes to his senses and realizes how mean his words are and he turns that hurtful malice into acceptance and sympathy. Can he ever make amends to the poor little butterfly? Cleverly he hatches a plan and finds the perfect way to do so. When he puts his plan into action it works like a charm and Kelpy makes a brand new friend. A friend who like him loves his ship dearly and loves sailing the seven seas and having wonderful adventures.

This book is a lovely read aloud and the illusrations are full of emotion and heart. Young children love rhyme and repetition and this book delivers both. It is inspiring as it encourages kids to follow their dreams even though there may be doubters trying to discourage them from doing so. I love the positive message and the fact that you have the power to reach out and make a difference in someone else's life too. I highly recommend this book.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk about an unlikely friendship! Kelpy the otter dreams of being a pirate. But once he builds his ship, everyone on the open waters made fun of him. Until he came upon Blistering Blastering Butterbeard! The only pirate more unlikely that you could imagine :-) But Kelpy is a good otter, and he knows what Blistering Blastering Butterbeard needs to be a happy pirate - the perfect pirate foe! (And nothing is better after a long day of battling at sea, than hot beverages and warm blankets by the fire with friends regaling the tales :-D )

[Teresa Kander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelpy the otter dreams of being a pirate, but when he builds his ship, everyone laughs at him. He carries on, determined to prove the otters and the pirates wrong about him. Then he encounters a tiny boat with a butterfly captain--Butterbeard--who tries to sink his ship. Kelpy originally treats Butterbeard the same way HE had been treated. Soon he comes to his senses and manages to make a new friend.

The illustrations in this book are a great representation of the text, expressing all of the emotion of the story. The story is easy to read, with lots of rhyme and repetition.

[Professor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids both loved this one. I'm not 100% sure I what I initially perceived as the message (celebrating destroying one's own dream to make someone feel better) but I think that was me misreading a story that's actually about finding people that are into what you're into (or into something adjacent to it) and then doing that thing with them and loving it. Which is a nice message, and, my kids, well, they just laughed their heads off at the whole thing and love it. :)

[Michelle (FabBookReviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The lovely and funny The Sinking of Captain Otter features a sea captain who not only stands tall in the face of others’ judgement, but also extends kindness to a would-be foe (the sweet history of this picture book is worth a look, too!).

[Jess M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book about Kelpy, a sea otter, and his friendship with a butterfly pirate. It's perfect for storytime when teaching kids about friendships and empathy.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pirate and an otter battle over the sea in a fun and cute way. Nice friendship themes. Toddler and up

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute. Loved it

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a fun, silly story.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A cute idea with cute pictures. They story isn't as strong as the pictures, but I think kids will like it.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahoy! We really enjoyed this book with its playful characters. Super cute!

[Elley Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kelpy is an otter who builds his own ship out of scraps. Everyone laughs at him and his scrappy ship, and he's sad about it until he meets a butterfly captain of an even smaller ship... I love that Kelpy realizes that he's making the butterfly feel the same sad sort of way the pirates and the sharks and the waves have made him feel, so he does something about it and ends up becoming good friends/rivals with the butterfly captain. This story is short and cute (a good length for a bedtime story) and the illustrations are cute and fun.

[jess ~has abandoned GR~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about two bullied characters finding joy in their friendship with one another.

Overall, I felt very meh about it, though.

[Brooklyn || The Wild Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was intrigued by this book's title and the cute cover art, particularly as I live on the West Coast and boats, otters, and captains are regular parts of life on the Coast. However, the story was not one that I expected. I anticipated a story with the Otter as the sole main character. Instead, the story has Captain Otter (aka Kelpy) befriending Blistering Blastering Butterbeard. It is a cute story, but one that didn't resonate with me as much as I hoped it would. This is likely because I was expecting (and hoping for) something slightly different. The illustrations are fun and interact well with the text on the page. The story as a whole felt like it could have been more finely tuned though... the beginning of the story, when Kelpy was being laughed at, could have been made more clear (i.e. mentioning that they were laughing at his boat).

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the flow and cadence of this book. The cadence isn’t always there, but there is a pattern to when it is and when it isn’t there. I think this would make an excellent story time book. I would be a fun read. An otter builds a ship and goes sailing. He has a run in with a pirate and his ship is destroyed. That only leads to more fun for the otter, the pirate, and the reader.

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great story about an Otter who is teased by others, but continues to do the things he loves. After teasing another, he realizes his mistake, and they become friends and play together.

There is great repetition in the text, the message of kindness is clear without be preachy. It is engaging and made my four year old laugh. He said he loved it when it was done and wanted to read it again.

The illustrations are fun and colourful.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Amber Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelpy was a captian. He was made for the job. He loved being a captain more than anything in this world, but he endured a lot of hardship along the way. He was laughed at and mocked for his passion, but to no avail he continued his quest. And as he went he met a few folks who loved sailing and fighting just as much as he. When he met little Butterbeard, he remembered what it felt like to be laughed at a lot. It was then that he realized just what to do.
In a true story of empathy and understanding, Kelpy makes a friend in the most unlikely of places. I think this story offers many opportunities for teaching empathy and kindness in a classroom with a dash of fun. Kids will love this story as will parents and teachers.

[Stephanie P (Because My Mother Read) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has an important message about being aware of other's feelings. I liked how the tables were turned on the main character and he had to decide if he was going to treat someone else how he had been treated or if he was going to make a better choice.

My kids love pirate stories so having this story set on boats with sea battles and pirates around was a lot of fun for them.

It is a pretty quick read and easy to read to younger as well as older kids.

We definitely enjoyed the book, but there was some extra spark missing to push us to the point of us loving it.

[Janice Lombardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelpy, the otter, builds a ship. The other otters, sharks, pirates and even the waves laughed at him. Finally a pirate bullies him and fires at Kelpy's ship, yet misses . Kelpy destroys his own ship (and the pirate's also). Together, they rebuild their ships, sink them, rebuild...

Cute story - excellent illustrations. Lots for students to discuss (how Kelpy tricked the pirate, bullying, and mending "fences - in this case SHIPS!)


A fun read! Recommend!!!

[Jesica DeHart · Rating 3 out of 5]

A unique friendship of empathy and cannon balling silliness that leads the readers the appreciate the motto, “when they go low, we go high”

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A valuable lesson in extending friendship and kindness, as portrayed by a sailing otter and a sailing butterfly. Pretty adorable illustrations.

[Erin *BookDragon_Library* · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations were cute in this book and the message of doing something to make a friend feel better was good. I didn't connect with the delivery method though. I found it sad to see everyone laughing at otter and him crying and I don't usually reread books that make me sad. And then the little pirate crying and crying and otter destroying his own boat to make him feel better seemed a little extreme even though it "proved the point" of comforting a friend.

Overall though, the book is worth the read due to the cute illustrations and the wholesome message of friendship.

Thank you #NetGalley for providing me with a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Storytime With Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sinking of Captain Otter by Troy Wilson is a fantastic little book about imagination and play. Kelpy likes his ship just so. He is proud of his beautiful vessel built with scraps and cast offs. Unfortunately the other otters, sharks, and sea life think his ship is laughable and are quick to judge. While sailing the seas, Kelpy encounters a teeny tiny butterfly pirate who attempts to sink his beautiful ship. Kelpy laughs at this tiny captain and his even tinier ship but quickly realizes he has hurt the other Captains feelings. In a show of empathy, Kelpy plays along. The two captains become fast friends sinking and rebuilding each other’s ships and sailing the seas together.

The Sinking of Captain Otter is a lovely book about empathy and kindness. When we choose to laugh and ridicule others, we are choosing to belittle them and hurt them. If we can all take a minute to think, like Kelpy, about the effect of our words and laughter, we may realize we need to choose kindness and to play along and we may make some of the best friends in the process.

The art by Maira Chiodi is so cute! You will be immediately drawn to the beautiful illustrations of sea life and the inviting warmth of the characters. The illustrations are inspiring and will provide creative fuel for all the young authors and illustrators out there. The illustrations are bold and big making The Sinking of Captain Otter a fabulous book to share as a read aloud. Beyond the illustrations, the repetition and rhyme of the text lends itself to an interactive reading experience between reader and listener.

The Sinking of Captain Otter is especially brilliant because the seed of the story began for Troy Wilson in grade school. A story from the heart of a child, percolated and then viewed again through that same child’s adult eyes leaves us with a beautiful message of perseverance and a reminder that we are all storytellers, no matter how young or old. Our stories have value and are meant to be shared. Parents, save all the wonderful stories your children write, you never know if they will one day revisit them to share with the world, or just to their own children one day.

[Dr. Cheryl S. Vanatti]

Please see my full review on Reading Rumpus: https://www.readingrumpus.com/2018/09...

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kelpy is an otter who loves the sea and fancies himself a sea captain. He's got the heart for it. The head for it. He's even got the hat for it! Building a ramshackle ship from scraps, that's everything he could ever dream of, he sails the high seas, despite the cruel jokes and jabs from pirates, sharks, other otters, even the waves themselves. Sure, he cries a little, but he loves his ship and that's that. But one day, he meets Blistering Blastering Butterbeard, a teeny, tiny pirate on a teeny, tiny boat of his own, who challenges Kelpy. Well, Kelpy can't help it: he laughs, too. And Butterbeard cries a little. And then he cries a lot. Kelpy knows he has to do the right thing, and proceeds to cut up his ship to make Butterbeard feel better, telling him that his cannonball sunk the ship. Face to face, the two adversaries know what they have to do: rebuild their ships and play on!

Captain Otter is a story about empathy and doing unto others (or otters, as the case may be): Kelpy knows what it's like to be laughed at and poked fun at, so when he does it to someone else - and sees the repercussions of his actions - he makes amends, paving the way to a brand new friendship. It's a sweet story whose repetition drives home the important points of the story, particularly persistence and devotion ("He loved his ship. He loved her from keel to cabin to crow's nest. So he took a deep breath, straightened his hat, and sailed on"). Scuttling his own ship to make Butterbeard feel better is a completely selfless act that opens the door to a friendship between the two; something we see as the two laugh together, play together, and share tea together, along with a black bird that appears in the story. It's a good story for storytimes and to start a discussion on doing what you love, and how our actions affect others.

[Steff Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sinking of Captain Otter by Troy Wilson is one of those utterly adorable children's books about friendship and passion. There is the passion to do what you love, even when others may think it silly and ridicule you for it as well as the ability to find friendship with those of like minds who may be experiencing the very same love and struggles that you have. One's ability to be compassionate and build a long lasting friendship with another as a result of having similar dreams is truly a wonderful message to send to young children.

The artwork is cute and certainly colorful enough to draw one's attention to the story. With excellent depictions of Captain Otter, his friend, and the other otters and pirates who didn't believe he was truly up to achieving his dream this story was a pleasure to read. I especially loved how adorable Captain Otter and the ship he worked so hard to make were when they set sail.

I do partially find myself wishing that the story itself had been a little more lyrical since I feel that rhyming in children's books is always a lot more fun and attention grabbing. I did appreciate the pieces that repeated since that's become a pretty integral piece of children's stories for me.

I definitely see this book as one worth reading to your children. It has a wonderful message that it seems far too many children's books don't even bother to send. It's always wonderful to come across one with a deeper meaning and I can definitely say that I would love to send this one to my niece. Every child could find some benefit in reading The Sinking of Captain Otter.

I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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