Utterly Otterly Night    by Mary Casanova & Ard Hoyt Order:  USA  Can Simon & Schuster, 2011 (2011) Hardcover      Reviewed by Bob Walch Are you ready for some winter fun? Yes? Then come along with Little Otter when he and his family go out for an evening of slip-sliding action as they head out to play in the snow. It's up to the top of the hill near their home and then 'friskily, whiskily down' they go on their bellies in a 'whooshily, shooshily way' right into the cold water of the creek. But even as they have fun, the otters must remain on guard because there is always danger lurking. Up in the nighttime sky an owl keeps a hungry eye on the family and when he swoops down, looking for a snack, they burrow into the snow. They also must be careful to keep out of the way of a big moose because he might accidentally step on one of them. As the night draws on and the otters keep playing, suddenly Little Otter senses a serious problem. 'DANGER!' he cries. Unfortunately, he is too far away from his family and they don't hear him. What's the problem? A pack of wolves are on the prowl. Even though the 'quaking, shaking' little fellow is afraid, he knows he must warn everyone. He flops on his belly and slides down the snowy hill. 'Danger! Head in!' he shouts as he evades the wolves while he heads towards the stream. Fortunately, they all hear him and then with a 'ka-ploosh!', Little Otter dives into the water after his family members. 'Down below the river's ceiling, underneath earth's snowy blanket, all is right on a friskily, whiskily, whooshily, shooshily, icily, dicily, frightfully, delightfully, utterly otterly night.' Young readers three years of age and older will love the cute cartoon characters and action adventure focusing upon this family of otters whose fun nearly turns to disaster one snowy evening. The moral here is quite obvious too – it's important to remain vigilant even when you are having a very good time! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews