The perfect rock by Sarah Noble

 Otters are endlessly intriguing (although I will admit that giant otters are a bit... frightening) and this sweet story with adorable illustrations is very satisfying for otter lovers.

Ollie, Bea, and Ula are three adorable otter pups living in the kelp forest on the Northwest coast. Soft greens and blues, sparked with pink and purple highlights, fill the pages as the pups play and explore their watery world. As their parents are teaching them the things they need to know to be grown-up otters, one of the most important is for them to have the perfect rock. Once they find it, they'll keep it in their pouch and be able to open their own shellfish and most importantly, they'll "hold close and never let go". The three set out to find the rock and have a wonderful time exploring, but when they do find the perfect rock there is only one and an argument erupts. The three are separated by their anger but remember their parents' words when a storm arises and discover that even though they might not have the perfect rock, they can still hold tight to each other.

This isn't exactly informational; although it does include some facts about sea otters like how they hold on to each other, use rocks, and have pouches, it's more of a family story with anthropomorphic animals. The real draw for me was the lovely shades of color and the light-filled ocean world the otters frolic through. The simple message about siblings working together will be satisfying for adults who like a moral for their stories and it would work nicely paired with a nonfiction or informational book about otters, perhaps Jonathan London's Otters Love to Play.

Verdict: Purchase this for the lovely illustrations and sweet story and it will fly off the shelves as well as make a nice inclusion in a storytime about otters. There are some very popular river otters at the Milwaukee Zoo that most kids know about, so it would be a fun and relatable topic for our area.

ISBN: 9781838740511; Published August 2022 by Flying Eye; Egalley provided by publisher; Purchased for the library