I was in the right mood the other day when I found an online copy of Odder: An Otter’s Story (Picture book) by Katherine Applegate and Charles Santoso (the lovely illustrator). Because this book could be considered overly saccharine and too sugary sweet. And when something is overly sweet I can really be a real Scrooge and a Humbug it. Yet, I was in the mood for something sweet, cuddly that just might make you have a tear (or ten) in your eye. 
Due in late April/early May 2025 this hardcover picture book has a few fun layers. While the story of rehabilitation of a wild animal has been done before, this is a cute way of combining a few different otter stories into one. Of course, nobody knows how Odder started out in the wild, with her mother and group, but when she is separated from them, found by humans, and rehabilitated, we know about this and can track Odder’s movements. Of course, Odder is a combination of two real world otters, so it is not perfect, but clever and creative and gives you the good feels.
The imagery is adorable, sweet, dreamy and invokes the emotions the author and illustrator wants. It is all happy and cute and sweet. You are supposed to go aaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwww! I just wanna smush her! And you are supposed to feel afraid and worried when we see the shark and learn of Odder’s fate (don’t worry, it is a happy ending). And we get to see how humans trained Odder and Odder, Queen of Play, trained other pups like her. All of this is done in soft, dreamy colors, images and details.
I haven’t read the novel this is adapted from, but I am sure it is equally cute and fun and does make me want to read that, too.