The Sinking of Captain Otter by Troy Wilson is a fantastic story about imagination and play.  Kelpy likes his ship just so. He is proud of his beautiful vessel built with scraps and cast offs. Unfortunately the other otters, sharks, and sea life think his ship is laughable and are quick to judge.  While sailing the seas, Kelpy encounters a teeny tiny butterfly pirate who attempts to sink his beautiful ship. Kelpy laughs at this tiny captain and his even tinier ship but quickly realizes he has hurt the other Captain’s feelings.  In a show of empathy, Kelpy plays along. The two captains become fast friends sinking and rebuilding each other’s ships and sailing the seas together.

The Sinking of Captain Otter is a lovely book about empathy and kindness.  When we choose to laugh and ridicule others, we are choosing to belittle them and hurt them.  If we can all take a minute to think, like Kelpy, about the effects of our words and laughter, we will realize we need to choose kindness and we may make some of the best friends in the process.

The art by Maira Chiodi is so cute! You will be immediately drawn to the beautiful illustrations of sea life and the inviting warmth of the characters.  The illustrations are inspiring and will provide creative fuel for all the young authors and illustrators out there. The illustrations are bold and big making The Sinking of Captain Otter a fabulous book to share as a read aloud.  Beyond the illustrations, the repetition and rhyme of the text lends itself to an interactive reading experience between reader and listener.

The Sinking of Captain Otter is especially brilliant because the seed of the story began for Troy Wilson in grade school.  A story from the heart of a child, percolated and then viewed again through that same child’s adult eyes leaves us with a beautiful message of perseverance and a reminder that we are all storytellers, no matter how young or old.  Our stories have value and are meant to be shared. Parents, save all the wonderful stories your children write, you never know if they will one day revisit them to share with the world, or just to their own children one day.