Beaver and Otter Get Along…Sort of: A Story of Grit and Patience Between Neighbors

In a valley with a trickling stream, Beaver makes his home by cutting down trees and building a dam. He transforms the stream into a pond and soon finds a mate to share his cozy lodge. The pond soon attracts other animals, including…Otter! Otter is different from Beaver in that he eats the fish and frogs in the pond. Beaver is a vegetarian. Otter finds a mate, too, and their pups splash and play. They continue playing throughout the winter and destroy Beaver’s dam. Beaver repairs it only to have the otters destroy it again! Beaver and Otter will never be best friends, but can they at least be good neighbors? The latest nonfiction picture book by Collard teaches young children about the commensal relationship between beavers and otters in the wild. Other animals including moose, turtles, and a variety of birds benefit from beaver dams. Though otters don’t usually hurt beavers, they can be a nuisance. Sodano’s natural and detailed illustrations of the beavers in the wild interacting with their ecosystem and the diverse wildlife brings the story and their relationships to each other to life. More scientific information on beavers and otters is included at the end of the book.