(3) K-3 My First I Can Read Book series. In the domesticated otter's latest easy-reader outing, she craves adventure--a trip to the circus or the ocean, say. Instead, Otter Keeper (the adult human with whom Otter lives) takes her to the library, where she learns to have adventures through books. This persuasive plug for reading shows Otter's stuffies looking amusingly discombobulated in her fantasies of their great adventures.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Otter Keeper, an adult, asks his charge, Otter, to share her Easter loot with her stuffed-animal friends. As with the other Otter books, what works--vibrant art and, here, Garton's attentiveness to children's difficulty sharing (Otter takes back her candy because "it was mine")--is undermined by bland, sometimes cheesy writing.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book series. The popular picture-book otter returns for another relatable easy reader. This time, Otter's enthusiasm about a day at the beach with Otter Keeper (her adult human housemate) is extinguished by her seaside realization that she's afraid of the water. Garton uses a few well-placed lines to capture Otter's various facial expressions in the illustrations, including, eventually, one of pride ("I am swimming!").

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book series. In Bath, mud-splattered Otter and her stuffie, Teddy, try to avoid the inevitable. In Job, Otter decides that she and Teddy need jobs, just like Otter Keeper (the human with whom they live). The popular picture-book otter weathers the transition to "first reader" books nicely: both stories are amusing in word and image (note, for instance, Otter and Teddy's bath-forestalling disguises). Review covers the following I Can Read Book titles: Otter: Oh No, Bath Time! and Otter: The Best Job Ever!.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book series. In Bath, mud-splattered Otter and her stuffie, Teddy, try to avoid the inevitable. In Job, Otter decides that she and Teddy need jobs, just like Otter Keeper (the human with whom they live). The popular picture-book otter weathers the transition to "first reader" books nicely: both stories are amusing in word and image (note, for instance, Otter and Teddy's bath-forestalling disguises). Review covers the following I Can Read Book titles: Otter: Oh No, Bath Time! and Otter: The Best Job Ever!.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 In the latest Otter book, which one-ups its overly cutesy predecessors, stuffed animal Otter, who lives with her human minder, starts a school for her fellow stuffies. The school is a terrific bust with amusing moments--amusing for the reader, anyway (when Otter's math lesson tanks, "everyone just took turns holding the calculator"). The understated art makes the goings-on funnier still.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 When Otter visits an aquarium with her adult-human minder, Otter Keeper, she's overjoyed by the prospect of meeting "animals that live in the sea." The book reads more like a tour of an aquarium than a story, although there's some drama when Otter's stuffed bear falls into Penguin Island. The spick-and-span art is good company for the immaculately simple sentences.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 In her latest outing, Otter leads Teddy and the other toys in human Otter Keeper's house in attempting to achieve scary new heights in Halloween costumery. The story, featuring ultra-clean illustrations, has a neat twist--it's Otter who gets scared--but for a series promoting creativity, the prose can be pretty unimaginative ("Halloween is the best holiday ever!").

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 After visiting a museum's space exhibit, the animal star of I Am Otter hatches a plan to get a moon rock. Otter references "launch," "lift-off," and a "moon landing"; meanwhile, the cleanly detailed illustrations show her travels to be quite earthly (her "moon rock" is from a garden). This jovial, imagination-plugging story shows off Otter's just-a-bit-too-cute childlike narration.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Otter loves living with her owner--playing and singing karaoke--but gets lonely when Otter Keeper goes to work. One day, to pass the time, she opens a toast restaurant, but things go horribly awry, leaving the apartment in shambles. Garton's picture book debut, based on his popular website, puts visual irony to excellent use. Otter's innocence and naiveté make her immediately likable.

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson