The Sinking of Captain Otter

Kelpy is an otter who builds his own ship out of scraps. Everyone laughs at him and his scrappy ship, and he's sad about it until he meets a butterfly captain of an even smaller ship... I love that Kelpy realizes that he's making the butterfly feel the same sad sort of way the pirates and the sharks and the waves have made him feel, so he does something about it and ends up becoming good friends/rivals with the butterfly captain. This story is short and cute (a good length for a bedtime story) and the illustrations are cute and fun.

This is a cute book about an otter whose boat is made fun of by pirates and other otters and even the waves. When he comes across a butterfly whose ship he finds funny, he realizes the butterfly's feelings have been hurt the same way his own have. So he lets the butterfly sink his ship, and then they rebuild and sink each other over and over, laughing together.

Kelpy, the otter, builds a ship. The other otters, sharks, pirates and even the waves laughed at him. Finally a pirate bullies him and fires at Kelpy's ship, yet misses . Kelpy destroys his own ship (and the pirate's also). Together, they rebuild their ships, sink them, rebuild...

Cute story - excellent illustrations. Lots for students to discuss (how Kelpy tricked the pirate, bullying, and mending "fences - in this case SHIPS!)


A fun read! Recommend!!!

This was a great story about an Otter who is teased by others, but continues to do the things he loves. After teasing another, he realizes his mistake, and they become friends and play together.

There is great repetition in the text, the message of kindness is clear without be preachy. It is engaging and made my four year old laugh. He said he loved it when it was done and wanted to read it again.

The illustrations are fun and colourful.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I really like the flow and cadence of this book. The cadence isn’t always there, but there is a pattern to when it is and when it isn’t there. I think this would make an excellent story time book. I would be a fun read. An otter builds a ship and goes sailing. He has a run in with a pirate and his ship is destroyed. That only leads to more fun for the otter, the pirate, and the reader.

Kelpy, the otter, adores ships, sailing the deep blue sea and hopefully being a hearty sea captain. He decides to built a ship out of this and that and sail off into the unknown.

The other otters laugh and scoff at his workmanship (and at him).

"Kelpy sighed a little.
He cried a little.
But he loved his ship.
He loved her from keel
to cabin
to crow's nest.
So he took a deep breath,
straightened his hat,
and sailed on."


Did those hurtful words and gestures deter him? No way....Kelby is determined and off he sails to fulfill his dream. Along the way scruffy pirates mock and taunt him, sharks make fun of him and even the waves ridicule him but he presses on.


"Kelpy sighed a little.
He cried a little.
But he loved his ship.
He loved her from keel
to cabin
to crow's nest.
So he took a deep breath,
straightened his hat,
and sailed on."

One day he comes upon a pathetic want-to-be sailor:

"Arrr!" came a shout.
"I be Blistering Blastering Butterbeard.
Prepare to be sunk!"

Oh my! This sounds very dangerous. Kelpy discovers the voice is coming from a small butterfly pirate in an itty-bitsy boat. Kelpy ignites into fits of laughter and fingerpointing... just exactly how he has been treated by those disbelievers around him. The tiny butterfly suddenly bursts into tears because his feelings are so badly hurt.

All of a sudden Kelpy comes to his senses and realizes how mean his words are and he turns that hurtful malice into acceptance and sympathy. Can he ever make amends to the poor little butterfly? Cleverly he hatches a plan and finds the perfect way to do so. When he puts his plan into action it works like a charm and Kelpy makes a brand new friend. A friend who like him loves his ship dearly and loves sailing the seven seas and having wonderful adventures.

This book is a lovely read aloud and the illusrations are full of emotion and heart. Young children love rhyme and repetition and this book delivers both. It is inspiring as it encourages kids to follow their dreams even though there may be doubters trying to discourage them from doing so. I love the positive message and the fact that you have the power to reach out and make a difference in someone else's life too. I highly recommend this book.

THE SINKING OF CAPTAIN OTTER is a delightful read-aloud about Kelpy, a sea otter, and his friendship with a butterfly pirate in a teeny-tiny boat. A heartwarming tale filled with rhyme, repetition, and lots of fun.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#OwlkidsBooks #NetGalley

This story is perfect for storytime. Children will love the silly antics of the otter and his pirate dreams but also learn about acceptance and friendship in how the otter puts his new friend's feelings above his.

Kelpy is an otter who loves to sail. He builds himself a ship out of scraps. Everyone, other otters, pirates, sharks and even the waves laugh at him and his ship. This hurts his feelings and he feels sad, but he loves his shop and off he sails. During his travels, he comes across a tiny ship captained by a butterfly. The butterfly tries to sink him and he laughs at him. When Kelpy realizes that he has made the butterfly feel bad, just like the others had done to him, he comes up with a solution. He does something about it and ends up becoming good friends/rivals with the butterfly captain. This story is short and cute (a good length for a bedtime story). The illustrations are fun and colourful. My grandson liked this story. He thought it was funny that an Otter had a boat, knowing that they know how to swim. A good story for a classroom or family library. The publisher, Owlkids Books, provided me with a copy of this book to read. The opinions stated are my own.

Kelpy was a captian. He was made for the job. He loved being a captain more than anything in this world, but he endured a lot of hardship along the way. He was laughed at and mocked for his passion, but to no avail he continued his quest. And as he went he met a few folks who loved sailing and fighting just as much as he. When he met little Butterbeard, he remembered what it felt like to be laughed at a lot. It was then that he realized just what to do.
In a true story of empathy and understanding, Kelpy makes a friend in the most unlikely of places. I think this story offers many opportunities for teaching empathy and kindness in a classroom with a dash of fun. Kids will love this story as will parents and teachers.

Talk about an unlikely friendship! Kelpy the otter dreams of being a pirate. But once he builds his ship, everyone on the open waters made fun of him. Until he came upon Blistering Blastering Butterbeard! The only pirate more unlikely that you could imagine :-) But Kelpy is a good otter, and he knows what Blistering Blastering Butterbeard needs to be a happy pirate - the perfect pirate foe! (And nothing is better after a long day of battling at sea, than hot beverages and warm blankets by the fire with friends regaling the tales :-D )

Kelpy the otter dreams of being a pirate, but when he builds his ship, everyone laughs at him. He carries on, determined to prove the otters and the pirates wrong about him. Then he encounters a tiny boat with a butterfly captain--Butterbeard--who tries to sink his ship. Kelpy originally treats Butterbeard the same way HE had been treated. Soon he comes to his senses and manages to make a new friend.

The illustrations in this book are a great representation of the text, expressing all of the emotion of the story. The story is easy to read, with lots of rhyme and repetition.

The Sinking of Captain Otter by Troy Wilson is a fantastic little book 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 Captains 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 effect of our words and laughter, we may realize we need to choose kindness and to play along 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.

I will first say, I love anything with otters and these illustrations were super adorable! Kelpy is Captain Otter! He built his ship out of scraps, and he was quite proud of it too! He loved his ship from “keel to crow’s nest.” But not everyone did. The otters laughed at him, the pirates laughed at him and even the waves laughed at Kelpy’s Ship. That’s ok, Kelpy just “straightened his hat and sailed on.”
He then battles the blistering butterbeard! A butterfly pirate, of course!
What’s not to love with this silly pirate tale!?
Thanks so much to OwlKids Books and NetGalley for this e-copy! It was lots of fun to read!
This will be featured on my blog on December 7, 2019.
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