An anthropomorphic otter is playing with stuffed animals, unable to decide on a pretend play game when her(?) owner suggests a visit to the library -- a new outing for Otter.

So first off, I have to explain that I have never read another Otter book so I don't know what they are typically like or if anything is explained. Otter talks about her stuffed animals as though they are as alive as she is, but they don't appear to be. The other living characters in this book are a library staff member and "Otter Keeper." I get that 'owner' is not the preferred term here but 'keeper' sounds bizarre. Also, at this point, I think it would just be better to have a child and a parent instead of an anthropomorphic animal and a 'keeper,' but whatever. On the plus side, at least the library staffer appears to be a woman of color.

Beyond that, I really liked how the story opened with the characters all wanting to do something different and then finding out that the library had books that allowed them to pretend they were doing each of those things. The power of imagination is clearly shown through the illustrations, which are colorful and striking. The library depicted as a fun place is always nice to see.

Still, my feeling on finishing this book was mostly 'meh.' ( )