Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners by Laurie Keller
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Book Reviews of Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners
Book Review: A Fun Take on The Golden Rule
Summary: 4 Stars
Using the author's signature style, this book is a cute take on The Golden Rule: "Do unto OTTERS and you would have OTTERS do unto you." While the book vividly reinforces a Christian principle (as found in Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31), it does not mention God or Scripture anywhere in the text.
When Mr. Rabbit gets new neighbors -- otter neighbors -- his friend, Mr. Owl, teaches him "an old saying: 'Do unto otters as you would have otters do unto you.'" Rabbit thinks long and hard about what that means and how he would like the Otters to treat him. He wants them to be friendly, polite, honest, considerate and kind. They should also know how to cooperate, share and play fair. Good friends and neighbors don't tease and they always apologize and forgive when necessary. The author gives great explanations of what each of these traits mean. Mr. Rabbit agrees that it's easy to be friends when you treat "otters" the way you want them to treat you.
Bonus: One otter shares with readers how to say "please", "thank you" and "excuse me" in five languages: Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Pig Latin.
What I Like: I love how specific the author is. She gives tons of examples making it easy for kids to apply this principle in their lives. And it's funny. There is so much to look at on each page! It's filled with sidebars, characters and colors. Some books read so quickly you have little time to focus on specific elements with your children. Not with this book. It's interactive. It encourages discussion between parent and child.
What I Dislike: Personally, I don't like the illustrations. The characters remind me of Ren & Stimpy, but my kids like it. Also, there are two things that more conservative Christians might find offensive. First, on the page about "when to say 'Excuse me.'", two characters pass gas. (Both do say "Excuse me!") Second, when Mr. Rabbit and one of the Otters share books, one of the titles is "Harry Otter." The cover illustration is a clear reference to Harry Potter. Considering the target age group, I don't think these minor details detract from the value of the book.
Overall Rating: Very Good.
Tanya -- Christian Children's Book Review
Book Review: Book Review: Do Unto Otters
Summary: 4 Stars
(Reviewer pulls out clipboard and pencil)
Alright everyone! Looks like we've got ourselves the new Laurie Keller book here. I'm just going to go down the list for a second to make sure everything is accounted for:
Aside-happy artwork that will take multiple readings to fully absorb? Check.
Voices given to usually nonspeaking main characters? Uh-huh.
Silliness in spades? Yep.
Clever storyline that will appeal to kids and adults alike? Well...
(Reviewer quietly puts clipboard and pencil down in order to speak frankly)
Well, you see, that's where I get just a bit hung up on this one. Let me explain.
Our story begins with Mr. Rabbit hopping through the woods, heading home to his comfortable tree hole. Once there, he runs into his new neighbors - the Otters. Mr. Rabbit is worried; he doesn't know much about otters and is nervous about how they will get along. To the rescue comes Mr. Owl, who provides a twist on the old golden rule. He asks Mr. Rabbit to list some of the good qualities he would like to see in Otters. Friendliness, honesty, and kindness all make the list, to name a few, with each characteristic illustrated in Keller's signature humorous fashion.
You see, Do Unto Otters is really more of a how-to guide than a story. And as a how-to, it succeeds - taking a subject of universal importance and making it fresh and entertaining. While it doesn't hit the highs I was anticipating, Do Unto Otters is still 4 out of 5 by me - nothing to mope about.
Book Review: DOO-DEE-DOO!
Summary: 4 Stars
Silly, cartoony, just plain funny-fun illustrations fit flawlessly with this story about being kind to your neighbors. It's presented in a woodland setting where our main character, a rabbit has a new family of beavers move in. He accepts the mantra of "do onto otters as you would have done to you"... and winds up taking us on a journey of exactly how he'd like to be treated and we see the rabbit/beaver dynamic in full swing. Lots of fun! My favorite line happens in the front matter before the story has even begun... Rabbit hops around with a hearty "DOO-DEE-DOO!" Kids will no doubt be hopping around doing the same!Book Review: Great for kids who LOVE animals to learn from
Summary: 4 Stars
Clever, enthralling critters, lessons learned without realizing it. Five year old grandson loves having it read to him again and again.