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What's better than a novel in verse about a wild sea otter rescued by the Monterray Aquarium? A beautiful picture book that tells that otter's story! Award winning author Katherine Applegate returns to chat all things otter, as we explore environmental themes in her magical Odder: An Otter's Story, illustrated by Charles Santoso. We also offer some fun ideas for bringing the book to life in early childhood and elementary classrooms.

Katherine is the 2025 Summer Reading Champion for the Collaborative Summer Library Program. This summer (from June 1-July 31), budding storytellers ages 8-12 are invited to enter the Color Our World Writing Contest. The grand prize winner receives a virtual writing workshop with Katherine, signed copies of Willodeen, Crenshaw, Odder, and Wishtree, and $500 of books for readers ages 8-12 from Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.

Katherine also gives us a sneak peek into her upcoming middle grade novel, Pocket Bear, a magical tale of mascot bears, love and second chances, and Ukranian refugees. And we discover that my youngest daughter is an arctophile.

Chapters:

• 01:03: Odder: An Otter's Story
• 12:02: Collaborative Summer Library Program
• 14:28: Pocket Bear, the power of second chances, and what it is to be an arctophile
• 21:38: Book Tours and celebrating the magic of connecting with books

Links:

• Educational resources on Katherine's website
• Connect on Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky
• Katherine's previous podcasts: Episode 51 & Episode 83

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*Disclosure: I am a Bookshop.org. affiliate.