Beautifully illustrated with a wonderful story. A great lesson about protecting otters and the gentle balance of nature. Will make a wonderful resource book.

I really enjoyed this book as it has beautiful illustrations and the story is a powerful reminder not to mess with nature and that biological diversity is a good thing. I think a lot of kids would enjoy reading this one and it could also make kids interested in natural science and environmentalism.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a children's book. The illustrations are gorgeous! The concept is great, but I thought they could have talked more about the otter at the beginning. It's more about kelp than otters. Important information, I just thought the execution could have been more engaging. I did love the sea urchins! 4 stars

Wow, such a stunning educational book! 'If You Take Away the Otter' will help educate children about ecosystems and the important role each animal plays within it. This book would be perfect for children age 5 and up.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

This is a great introduction to ecosystems and the vital role of keystone species within them. The information is clearly explained and sits alongside some of the most beautiful illustrations I've ever seen. The extra facts sprinkled throughout the pages supplement the main story well without distracting from the book's beauty and flow. This would be a great addition to school and home libraries!
Thank you to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the ARC.

<B>If you take away the Otter, changes will happen beneath the waves. </b>

A children's book to bring awareness when take away the otter from the sea. The book goes into what grows at the bottom of the sea and how it is useful for many things. How otters keep the sea in balance however, when the otters become hunted, the balance took a turn for the worst.

With special facts on each page, parent and child can be more aware of how fragile our world is. Highly recommend.

<i>A Special Thank you to Candlewick Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

This beautifully illustrated book begins with establishing the setting—the kelp forests of the Pacific coast of North America, which has kelp forests full of living things. The sea otter is introduced as “the king of these forests” and “the hungriest hunger.” Yet, when new people, Russia explorers who came to Alaska in 1741, hunted the otter to sell their skins, they destroyed the balance of nature. Kelp farms were destroyed when the sea urchin population soared since sea urchins were no longer held in check by the otters. In the end, an international treaty helped bring the otters back. This book has an important statement, and it is well told. Simple text make it accessible to early readers, while more complex text provide added details for older readers.

I always love children's books with a message that I can fully support. <em>If You Take Away the Otter</em> by Susannah Buhrman-Deever and illustrated by Matthew Trueman is one such fantastic book. Using a real-life example to illustrate the damages that would come about if a single animal is taken from an ecosystem, the author seeks to foster an understanding and appreciation for how all animals affect the world around them. Had it been written in a manner that was a little more accessible for young kids, it would have been perfect.

The best thing that this book has going for it are the absolutely and incredibly gorgeous illustrations that fill its pages. You almost feel as if you are swimming within the waters alongside the creatures that live there. The pictures tell an exceptional story of what happens to an area when otters are hunted and killed, their population decreasing. There's a foreboding that comes to you as you flip through the pages. You feel haunted by the horrors of what has happened. Fortunately, relief returns in the form of the adorable little creatures returning to frolic about as they once did.

Where I think this book fails somewhat, however, is in its prose. None of it is exceptionally engaging to a young mind. In fact, as I imagine a parent reading this book to a child, I can already picture the kids growing bored and moving away in favor of other distractions. I feel like the book would have benefitted immensely from some sort of lyrical presentation. At the very least the information presented should have been done in a manner that allows kids to remain engaged.

I just think that too much was thrown in with the odd expectation that a child would pay attention. And while I love this book in spite of that, I know I would have a difficult time getting my niece to pay attention to it. It's definitely a book I would recommend for older kids, at minimum eight or nine years old.

This book is a warning, one that everyone should heed. It's exceedingly important for young children to be introduced to these truths so that they can grow up into adults who genuinely care for these animals and their plight. I am glad to have read it.

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>

The Cutest Keystone Species

A "keystone species" is "... a species which has a disproportionately large effect on its natural environment relative to its abundance.... Such species are described as playing a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community...". (Thank you Wiki for that succinct definition.) Unless you're especially partial to beavers, the cutest, cuddliest, cleverest keystone species is the Sea Otter. (Insert plush toy here.)

This book works at several different levels, and it gets across the idea of keystone species, and the particular story of Sea Otters, crisply, clearly, and directly. On the chapter book/picture book level we have cheerful, bright and engaging mixed media drawings, (that look like fully painted watercolors), of kelp forests, the animals within, and playful, hungry sea otters. Even the sea urchins look good. These pictures are complemented by a straightforward narrative that seems designed for read-tos. But then, inserted within and around the drawings we get text with a little more detail and elaboration, which seems aimed at slightly older readers.

A necessary part of the otter story is the tale of the over hunting and then the eventual reestablishment of otter populations. I've read this story in dozens of books, and the telling can range from heavy-handed to just mildly incidental. Here, we get a middle of the road approach that laments careless overhunting without trying too hard to assign blame, and then celebrates the protection and reintroduction of otter communities. For a kid's book, this struck me as a decent compromise that gets across the otter story while keeping the focus on why otters are a keystone here on the Monterey Bay. (I expect to see this in the Aquarium's book shop fairly soon.)

So, I thought this was a charming picture book with an important story to tell, a valuable lesson to offer, and a very well presented explanation of an especially important ecological principle. All good.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)