I liked this story better than the recent Ivan books. It’s written in a similar style, short groups of sentences almost like poetry. In this case it flowed more smoothly for me. The otter felt more believable as an animal to me, too. It’s about a young sea otter who is separated from her mother early in life and rescued by humans, who take care of her, try to teach her some skills, and then set her free again. She finishes growing up among other otters out in the ocean, delights in her freedom, loves swimming feats and telling stories to her friend (another otter who has a more cautious and reserved personality). Our protagonist otter, still somewhat inexperienced, has a frightening run-in with a shark and is seriously injured. But once again she is picked up by humans who take her back to the same rescue facility, where she undergoes treatment and a long rehabilitation. She meets other otters in the facility and learns more about what the humans do there. There are brief pages between chapters narrated by the otter, than just share information like how otters help the ecosystem, or what to do if you find one stranded on the beach. They fit in well with the rest of the story (didn’t feel jarring or out of place). While our otter is at the rescue center, she sees how the humans have changed their methods in the intervening years- using adult otters that for some reason can’t be returned to the ocean, as surrogate parents to care for and teach the baby otters. While the ending isn’t perfect for our otter, she does end up in a safe place, and after some initial reluctance, becomes content with her life. Based on two actual sea otters that were treated at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California- an afterward tells which parts of the story are factual.
Borrowed from the public library.
