A Lot of Otters

Barbara Helen Berger's A Lot of Otters, has tapped into a magical image...ready? it's a lot of otters! Finally a book that has it all. The story line is simple, mother moon can't find her moon child, and so she cries tears into the sea. Without the pictures in this book, there would be no story, and some wile otters catch the moon tears, following and protecting the moon child, eventually leading mother moon to be reunited with her beloved moonlet. Sweet and simple, playful and sad; this story offers a childlike insight to the power of unfathomable love. I think that this would be a really cool way to show kids how personification is used in literature, maybe challenge them by asking kids what the moon child represents. Are the otters representing the worlds' happiness, showing mother moon where her love lies? These are fairly challenging questions for elementary school kids, but I think that fourth grade and up might be able to have a really cool discussion in small groups about the meaning behind the mystical characters in this book. It's always better when you add a LOT of otters.