Otter Loves Halloween!

What happens when the frightener becomes the frightened? That’s the problem confronting the star of I Am Otter and Otter in Space when the trick-or-treaters who show up prove to be “very scary—almost too scary!” (And this, even when Otter is herself dressed up as a “superscary witch!”) Otter remains a master of deflection: racing under the bed to hide, “I took Pig with me too. He was really scared.” Luckily, her human Otter Keeper is there to offer both comfort and a costume tweak: a cardboard box mask with a monster’s face drawn on it. “Things are much less scary when you can’t really see them,” notes a much-happier Otter. The joyful chaos of everyday life with a child (or otter) permeates Garton’s cartoons and should keep kids laughing from start to finish. Ages 4–8. Agent: Brooks Sherman, Bent Agency. (July)