ODDER by Katherine Applegate

 

What a delightful way to start the new year! ODDER by Katherine Applegate is a precious book I will be recommending to everyone. 

Odder's mother named her little sea otter appropriately. Curious, adventurous, and often a rule breaker, Odder believes her purpose is to play in the sea. Separated from her mother early in life, Odder was found and taken to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. There her rescuers did their best to teach her the rules of being an otter. These people tried to think like an otter as they interacted with their tiny, active guest. 

When Odder returns to the sea, her fearless playfulness leads to numerous misadventures. She gets too close to humans, she gets too close to things she doesn't understand, and she gets too close to sharks. When one of those sharks mistakes her for lunch, she ends up back at the Aquarium with bite marks on her side. While recovering she meets more kind humans and a couple of elderly otters who offer her their own sage advice.

Readers will immediately fall in love with Odder. They will gasp at the dangerous chances she takes and laugh at her antics amidst the kelp as she dives for clams and plays endlessly. Odder's story teaches as well as entertains. The humans learn much about sea otter behavior through years of working with Odder and others. 

Applegate's use of flowing free verse is perfect for following Odder's life in the Aquarium and beyond. This is truly a magical story I could read again and again.