Best friends Otter and Beaver both love their stream—but for two completely different reasons! While Otter loves to play in the water, Beaver works hard to build a dam.

Hey Otter! Hey Beaver! is a funny and action-packed book about competition, cooperation, and friendship, by Caldecott Honor artist and Coretta Scott King Award winner Brian Pinkney.

Otter loves how fast the water in the stream flows; it’s perfect to play in. But Beaver sees flowing water and knows he must get to work. While Otter plays with sticks, twigs, and branches, Beaver works hard to build a dam. When the dam is finished and the swirling water is quiet, the two friends decide to take a break. That is, until Otter plays a silly trick on Beaver, and it’s time to start all over again.

Caldecott Honor artist and Coretta Scott King Award winner Brian Pinkney’s playful text and bold, fluid illustrations perfectly capture Otter and Beaver’s exuberant personalities. With themes of friendship, nature, competition, conflict resolution, and sharing, Hey Otter! Hey Beaver! is a standout title for social and emotional learning, as well as an excellent choice for bedtime and school and library story-times.