Book Review:
Whisker's Great Adventure

by Meryl Doney
Illustrated by William Geldart
Reviewed by Christopher Essex

His three siblings happily take these warnings to heart, but not Whisker. "'Ha,' Whisker said loudly. 'I'm not afraid of dangers.'" And so, at the first opportunity, he sneaks away and heads towards the enticements of life downstream. And of course, almost immediately, his life is put in peril. As you might have guessed from the father's warnings, Whisker runs into hounds, weasels and the Great Striped One, a wildcat. He manages to get away fairly easily from all but the wildcat. Luckily, just as Whisker is about to be attacked by the Great Striped One, his father appears and saves him.

Illustration by William Geldart. Not to be reproduced without permission.
The message of this story is a straightforward one: Don't wander away from your parents. Certainly good advice for any young otter (or child) to hear. Most children will easily identify with Whisker and his urges to explore exciting new things, and this book can echo and reinforce a parent's warnings about the dangers that the world holds.

It is unfortunate, however, that besides this repeated warning not to stray from home and hearth, the book doesn't offer the child any advice about what to do when confronting the perils of the world. Whisker does nothing more than run away when he sees the weasels and hounds, and while running away is often good advice, it's not always possible or the best option. And what if your father isn't around when real danger appears? Whisker's Great Adventure would have been an even better book if it could have modeled some skills or techniques that children might use to fend off or escape the various kinds of dangers that the young otter encounters.

This book was originally published in England, where both the author and illustrator live. Meryl Doney has published more than eighty other children's books. William Geldart provided the pleasant illustrations of Whisker and the other animals. His style is subdued and realistic, with only a couple of cartoony moments thrown in for comic relief.

All in all, an enjoyable book with an important message, but one that could be elaborated upon.

PCTO Rating: