Playful Slider

Book Review From BOOKLIST

"The saying, 'Playful as an otter' takes on meaning in this informative and attractively illustrated volume. . . . The picture-book format works well. The large pages share a balance between text and color illustrations that capture the essence of these animals as they slip and slide in mud and snow and swim in circles just for the fun of it. . . . This is a good choice for animal studies in the primary grades." -- Deborah Abbott

"Illustrated by Mary Barrett Brown. Powerful swimmers, otters spend much of their time on land or in underground dens. Skillful hunters, they will fiercely defy attackers; yet they are above all else playful. In their examination of the otter, Barbara Juster Esbensen and Mary Barrett Brown focus on this animal's playful nature, evident in snow, on land, and underwater. 'Otters act as though the more bodies they can chase, snuggle, wrestle, and curl up with, the better.' Clear, informative explanations follow otter family activities through the seasons of the year, beginning with a winter day's hunting and snow sliding. Attractive paintings fill many double-page spreads, and in other instances smaller scenes share white space with blocks of text. The book seems softer in execution than the author-illustrator team's striking Great Northern Diver: The Loon (Little). A few scenes in Playful Slider are quite dark; others are set against green underwater vistas or make judicious use of blues and whites as background. All in all, a pleasing and informative introduction." -- Margaret A. Bush

Barbara Juster Esbensen Memorial

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