OTTER IN SPACE

Having previously opened a toast restaurant (I Am Otter, 2014), an otter ups the ante and shoots for the moon.

When Otter Keeper takes Otter and Teddy to a museum, they see moon rocks, NASA models, simulated spaceship controls, and a video about the moon. At the gift shop, Otter is “forced to make some very difficult decisions.” She gets a new toy spaceship but not a moon rock, so the next day, when Otter Keeper goes to work, Otter hatches a plan: “Teddy and I [will] get our moon rock from the same place the museum did: the MOON!” As she builds space suits (using glue, boxes, galoshes, and a scuba mask) and puts Teddy through rigorous “antigravity training” in the dryer, Otter’s hilarious narration never acknowledges that this isn’t a real trip—nor that Teddy and the other participants are stuffed animals. Otter herself is a delightful amalgam of pet (staying home alone when Otter Keeper, an adult human, goes to work) and child (drinking from a juice box and riding in a car seat). From “mishun control” to launch and liftoff, Garton’s bright, shiny digital illustrations are full of sparkle and humor. Even a sudden progression from spot illustrations to a full double-page spread is funny.

Lively, giggle-producing proof that imaginative play is just as good as getting to the moon.