OTTER MOON

An otter with the soul of a poet goes on a moonlit quest. Flibbertigibbet sleeps all day and prowls his woodland world by the light of the “freckly” moon, admiring the wonders of nature. One night, King Otter disturbs his reverie with an insult and a demand: The “lazy” Flibbertigibbet must catch him a fish on a silver dish before first light. Flibberty swims quickly downstream and, upon surfacing, gets an offer of help from majestic Heron. The duo travels in tandem for miles, nearly to the sea, further than Flibberty has ever swum. It’s nearly morning, there’s no sign of Heron and no sign of a fish; Flibberty rounds a bend and there stands King Otter, awaiting his meal. All seems lost until a (nearly literal) Hail Mary pass saves the day, and turns this odyssey into an allegory. Humphries’s lyrical prose, festooned with internal rhymes and wordplay, is perfectly matched to his beautiful, dusky watercolors. They shine with a silvery light, investing the adventure with a suitably majestic magic. First-rate. (Picture book. 6-9)