Thuqi’ is a sockeye salmon who knows it’s time to spawn, but she is lost in the Salish Sea and doesn't know the way to Sta'lo’, the river. She has become separated from her family. She meets up with Tumus, the sea otter, who is eating and doesn't want to help her. She asks a second time when they meet again and he dismisses her query by telling her that she should stay where they are. Thuqi' decides to try to find her way on her own, and heads into the dark water. The next thing she knows Tumus is there, lost in the water and weeds and asks Thuqi' for help. She agrees and takes him back. He feels terrible about the way he has treated her and tells her what he knows about the way to Sta'lo.

This is an original tale set in Coast Salish Traditional Territory, It is told and illustrated in the Coast Salish way with several words in the Hul’q’umi’num’ language. It is a story that shows that it is okay to ask for help, and to try and help even if you aren't sure. It is also a story of friendship and helping others. I loved the illustrations by Andrea Fritz. She studied West Coast Native art with Victor Newman, an Kwakwaka'wakw master. There is a glossary at the beginning of the book so we could see what the words meant, but I know we didn't do well with the pronunciation. My grandkids loved the artwork and said it reminded them of the totem poles they had seen pictures of. The story ends in an open ended fashion, so we had a great discussion when it ended about families, spawning and what it means, friendship, and how "mean" and "selfish" Tumus originally was in the story. This is the first book in a series of four and I hope to read the rest with them in the future.

The story was engaging and captivating for both adults and children, and the artwork was colorful and captivating. The story was told in a traditional native American style, which gave it a unique and special feel. The native language in the story came with definitions and pronunciation guides and it brought the native language and representation to life. I would advise that some of the words may be difficult for children to read. The storyteller did a wonderful job of conveying the story and children will learn a good lesson about asking for help. I highly recommend this story to anyone looking for a great children's story with a native American twist.

Otter Doesn't Know
by Andrea Fritz

This book was adorable and I loved the message it sends/lesson it teaches children. The illustrations were amazing and my grandchildren loved it. I would love to see it in print because it did not lend itself well to a digital format and I suspect we would have enjoyed it even more..

We received this book for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this book, but it would take some practice for me to become comfortable in my pronunciation of the Hul'q'umi'num' words. That made my first reading experience a little harder, but is an aspect of the book I truly appreciate. I also appreciate that the author did not just leave us to our own devices here, she gave us a pronunciation guide to learn from at the beginning of the book.

I like the message of not needing to have all the answers in order to help someone. I think that is an important message for our children. I also appreciate that an apology was made for being rude and impatient. Taking accountability and making amends are definitely things I want modeled for my children.

Thuqi’ the salmon has lost her family! She asks her friend Tumus for help - but he brushes her off. Later, Thuqi’ drops everything to help the otter, so he in turn gives her advice on how to find her family.

I really enjoyed this book! I liked the art work, the culture and the story telling! I just think the outside blurb needs attention, as I thought this was going to center Tumus the otter as the main character.

Love the art style. It was perfect for this story. I also really liked the message. It was cute and I can't wait to reread it again.

5 stars.

**received in exchange for review. opinions my own**

- I've never seen illustrations like these. I both like them and find them interesting in the I-need-to-look-at-this-a-lot kind of way.
- There's a language learner guide in the first few pages. I like this.
- The lesson (helping others and realizing you've felt entitled to help) is one that even adults could stand to learn.

Otter Doesn't Know is a unique book about a salmon trying to find his way home but not knowing where to go and asking an Otter who also doesn't know. It helps us think about being helpers even when we don't have all the answers and how the best gift to give others is our presence, not all of the solutions. There were many indigenous words in the text, which I appreciated but also had no idea how to pronounce. I wish somewhere next to the word or somewhere on that page it would put the phonetic spelling so I could attempt the pronunciation. Though this aspect was frustrating I otherwise enjoyed it and appreciated the indigenous representation, beautiful illustrations, and engaging story. I also like that it ends on a "cliff hanger" and readers have to decide what they think happens.

This book was adorable and I loved the message it sends/lesson it teaches children. The illustrations were amazing and my son was riveted by it. I would love to see it in print because it did not lend itself well to a digital format and I suspect we would have enjoyed it even more in print. I was going to suggest a pronunciation guide at the beginning and then realized I just missed it due to the digital format. The educational pieces written in at the beginning and end were also really nice.

Otter Doesn’t Know is a kind story that can be used to show children that helping doesn’t require you to know everything. The pictures are stunning and the friendship between otter and salmon is a one that kids will see in their own lives. They don’t always know how to interact. This book shows a way to connect and interact with others.

I really, really enjoyed this one. It was hard reading the e-copy because there’s a pronunciation guide at the start and I needed to keep flipping back to it! I loved the message at the end about preserving a dying language and the idea that making pronunciation mistakes is ok. I liked this more than my kids.

Otter Doesn't Know is the next addition to the Coast Salish Tales series. This indigenous story teaches the reader about empathy. The story is beautifully written and works perfectly with the gorgeous illustrations. The addition of the Hul'q'umi'num' language is very natural and easy to read aloud, with a helpful and informative pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book. This is a great read aloud for parents who want an exciting story with a great message about kindness and empathy. Educators will love the social emotional learning connections with empathy and kindness as well. This book also invites young readers to make text-to-self connections about times they were afraid and text-to-text connections with other fables and tales with a similar lesson. This will be a welcome addition to school and library collections for Indigenous Heritage Month. The forward by the author also makes this a good book to share with younger students for Orange Shirt Day.

This book is amazing. I enjoyed reading it. I think it's a great way to introduce a child to camaraderie and helping and if you can't see if there's an alternative. The words are hard to pronounce so an adult definitely help. Thank you, I really enjoyed.

Published: 09/12/23

Thank you NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for accepting my request to read and review Otter Doesn't Know.

This was over my head. I couldn't wrap my head around the story, the language, and reading this to a child. "The Coast Salish Tales series shares the art, culture and language of the Hul’q’umi’num’-speaking Peoples.".

I'm not sure where to even go with this. It was hard flipping around on Kindle trying to match words with definitions. Sadly, this just didn't work for me. I say sadly, I like new experiences.

I didn't have any illustrations.

Such a sweet story about the friendship between a salmon and an otter. I love the authors note about sharing the storytelling traditional of her culture.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the inclusion of her native language into the story and the explanation of what the words meant.

The moral of the story is the importance of kindness. Especially to those who may not have been kind to you. Also the importance of asking for help when needed.

Otter Doesn't Know is an illustrated children's story about a salmon and her friend learning how to be confident and kind even in times of uncertainty. Indigenous artist and storyteller Andrea Fritz creates beautiful artwork in the Coast Salish tradition. I really liked the additional background information about the author/artist, the language and the history of oral storytelling. I feel the story ended a bit abruptly and could've used another page of illustration. I recommend this book for those that are interested in learning about other cultures.

I loved this! The artwork was wonderful and the story was well-written and brief enough to keep a child's attention.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.