Hey Otter! Hey Beaver!
by Brian Pinkney (Author) Brian Pinkney (Illustrator)
Best friends Otter and Beaver both love their stream--but for two completely different reasons! While Otter loves to play in the water, Beaver works hard to build a dam.
Hey Otter! Hey Beaver! is a funny and action-packed book about competition, cooperation, and friendship, by Caldecott Honor artist and Coretta Scott King Award winner Brian Pinkney.
Otter loves how fast the water in the stream flows; it's perfect to play in. But Beaver sees flowing water and knows he must get to work. While Otter plays with sticks, twigs, and branches, Beaver works hard to build a dam. When the dam is finished and the swirling water is quiet, the two friends decide to take a break. That is, until Otter plays a silly trick on Beaver, and it's time to start all over again.
Caldecott Honor artist and Coretta Scott King Award winner Brian Pinkney's playful text and bold, fluid illustrations perfectly capture Otter and Beaver's exuberant personalities. With themes of friendship, nature, competition, conflict resolution, and sharing, Hey Otter! Hey Beaver! is a standout title for social and emotional learning, as well as an excellent choice for bedtime and school and library story-times.
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Kirkus
Proof positive that friends can get along, no matter how seemingly disparate.
Publishers Weekly
Told in snappy, reiterative dialogue that offers a chantlike feel, this portrait of two different personalities abounds with fluid sights and rhythmic sounds. Lithe Otter has brown fur and ample whiskers; purple Beaver has oversize incisors, a jowly snout, and a flat tail. Approaching the water together, the two swim among vibrant, multihued paint strokes that seem to swirl and splash. Flowing water and floating sticks mean playtime to Otter: "I'm balancing this stick. Now I'm tossing this stick. It's time to play!" To Beaver, though, they represent precious building materials: "I really really really really need that stick to build my dam." The two spar in quick repartee over everything that comes along, but neither one dominates the sparky interactions, which prove mutually respectful instead of conflict-driven: "What about twigs? Can you use twigs?" Otter asks. "I found these twigs!" When the dam is finished, Otter tries an experiment, and the results have the potential for catastrophe--or maybe not. Friends don't have to be similar to get along, Pinkney (Bright Brown Baby) shows; they don't even have to define fun the same way to have a good time. Ages 4-8. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Feb.)
Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2--Pinkney's latest picture book is a playful and vibrant story of friendship. Otter and Beaver are best friends. When they come across a tumbling stream, Otter sees it as the perfect place to play, while Beaver sees it as just the spot to build a dam. The two friends seem at odds, until a mishap shows that they can work together to both get what they want. The text accurately captures the personalities of the two creatures and will make for an engaging read-aloud. The ink, watercolor, and acrylic illustrations are bold and vibrant. They capture the movement of the water and animals perfectly. VERDICT With a clear cadence and plenty of charm, this is an ideal read-aloud to introduce lessons on friendship and compromise.--V. Lynn Christiansen
Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV002160 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Mammals
JUV029010 - Juvenile Fiction | Nature & the Natural World | Environment
JUV002170 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Marine Life
Picture books
Habits and behavior
Otters
Beavers
Animal fiction
