Local author Mary Casanova is back at the book signing table with the release of her latest children’s book, “Utterly Otterly Night.”
The story marks the 26th book for the Ranier author and is a sequel to “Utterly Otterly Day,” which was released in 2008.
Casanova said Utterly Otterly Night is set during the winter because a winter story “called to her.”
“I love watching otters pop through holes in the ice when winter frosts our Ranier bay white,” she said.
The story again follows Little Otter, who takes risks and strikes off on adventures. In the first story, Little Otter encounters trouble and has to be saved by his family, but in Utterly Otterly Night, it is Little Otter who saves his family. The award-winning author said her intentions were not to write a sequel to the Utterly Otterly series, however, after getting to know the character of Little Otter, she knew he couldn’t be limited to one adventure.
“A sequel is a bit easier because I already know the main character and other players in the story,” Casanova described of the writing process for this book.
Casanova said this story, like many of her other books, is inspired by living in the northwoods.
“We live where wilderness, filled with the likes of owls, wolves, and moose is a normal part of our lives,” she said. “I enjoyed writing a whimsical story that also depicted northwoods animals in their winter habitat, acting fairly true to their instinctive behavior.”
Casanova noted that she hopes local readers will enjoy seeing the frigid and beautiful winters depicted in and adventurous picture book.
“I hope, as well, that young readers across the country will experience a bit of winter through Ard Hoyt’s stunning pastel illustrations and through Little Otter’s snowy escapades,” she added.
This is Casanova and Hoyt’s fifth time teaming up on a children’s book. Casanova has called collaboration efforts with Hoyt as two over-sized kids who work well together.
Casanova hopes her readers and their families will enjoy Utterly Otterly Night as much as they have Utterly Otterly Day.
“Some parents will share with me how their kids love to mimic the language of the story which is a huge compliment,” Casanova said.
She also said that she hopes the story encourages readers to trust their intuition and God-given instincts to help avoid danger and follow their dreams.
“There’s a moment in the story when Little Otter must follow his instincts,” she said.
Book signings for Utterly Otterly Night are scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 1 at City Drug and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 3 at Ronnings. For more information on Casanova or any of her books, visit www.marycasanova.com or search ‘Mary Casanova’ on Facebook.
