As the saying goes, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Yet, it was the cover of The Otters’ Tale by Simon Cooper that drew me towards it, featuring a beautiful watercolour painting of a curious otter by Mark Adlington. As someone who loves nature writing and has a lifelong wish of seeing an otter, I knew this was one of those books I had to read. I felt that it might shed some light on the life of an animal I knew very little about, except for the fact that I wanted to see one more than anything.
This book did more than simply shed light on the life of the ever elusive otter, however. While reading it, I felt like I was part of the otters’ lives. Part of their landscape. Simon Cooper obviously cares a lot about his subject, and describes every aspect of their lives in great detail. From being separated from the mother, to finding their own territory, to starting a family of their own, to abandoning their pups at some stage, Cooper has it all covered.
But he does a lot more than simply describing every step of the way in an otter’s life. He describes the landscape that surrounds them, the lives of the creatures the otters prey on. You get to know every single thread that is connected to an otter’s life. What makes one season completely different from the other, apart from the obvious factor of the weather. Why they prey on some creatures during one season, but different ones in another. Why, in order to survive and keep the species going, seemingly difficult decisions have to be made by otter mothers. I say seemingly, because as harsh as it may seem to us, to the otter it’s nothing more than common sense.
This is exactly what makes this book such a delight. Cooper really tries to understand the otter for what it truly is. It is very clear that he has observed otters in extreme detail, and understands them better than most of us ever could. Reading this book really makes you feel stronger about wanting more otters in Britain. Cooper’s enthusiasm is truly infectious. What a privilege for him to be able to get to know these beautiful animals so well. And what a privilege for us to be able to read about it.
Title: The Otters’ Tale
Author: Simon Cooper
ISBN: 9780008189716 (Hardback) and 9780008189747 (out in paperback 22/03/2018 in the UK)
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