Otter in Space
By Regan McMahon,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Otter rockets to the moon in fun celebration of imagination.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this book.
Where to Read
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
While Otter Keeper's at work, Otter decides to rocket to the moon (actually the backyard) with Teddy. So she builds a space suit and rocket ship out of cardboard boxes and blasts off (from the top of the slide). Once there's an OTTER IN SPACE, she finds a moon rock (actually a garden boulder) and brings it back home. When Otter Keeper comes home and finds the garden torn up and a big dirty rock in the house, Otter Keeper has her take it back outside and adds "Do not dig up moon rocks" to Otter's do-not-do list on the refrigerator.
Is It Any Good?
Adorable Otter's imagination gets her mildly in trouble again in this delightful celebration of independent play and let's pretend. Otter's a great stand-in for a kid who gets carried away at make-believe. Otter Keeper is patient and tolerant and understands that Otter's just a creative self-starter whose heart is in the right place.
The wonderful illustrations are full of fun details and deadpan expressions on the toys Otter plays with and imbues with opinions and reactions as he narrates their play, even though Teddy, for example, looks comatose at all times.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about outer space. Would you like to explore in a rocket ship? Do you ever pretend you're on another planet?
Did you read I Am Otter? What do you like about the Otter character? Do you want to keep following her adventures?
Do you have a favorite toy that you take on imaginary journeys? How is that toy like a real playmate?
Book Details
- Author: Sam Garton
- Illustrator: Sam Garton
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Science and Nature, Space and Aliens, Wild Animals
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Balzer + Bray
- Publication date: May 5, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 8
- Number of pages: 32
- Available on: Hardback, iBooks
- Last updated: October 30, 2020
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Read
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate