Elliott the Otter: The Totally Untrue Story of Elliot, Boss of the Bay

PreS-Gr 2—This is the (totally untrue) story of Elliott the Otter, commander-in-chief of the busy Elliott Bay. He compares himself to the diminutive tugboat who is "not very big, but has big responsibilities." He goes on to tell all about the activity in the Bay from barges, freighters, cranes, orcas, salmon, and locks. Elliott has many duties and in the end, readers find out his most important job of all. The authors use sea jargon, such as "spawn" and "fish ladder," but sometimes fail to define these terms. Mature readers may be able to deduce the meaning from context and visual cues. The vibrant, larger-than-life illustrations of the boats dwarf Elliott the Otter, endearing this tiny boss to readers. Skewes's artwork uses sharp lines and angular shapes with bright pops of color, in the style of animated cartoons. Readers will come away understanding that even small folk can have big, important jobs to do.