Casanova releases new picture book, By FAYE WHITBECK, Staff Writer

Utterly Otterly Day is tale of discovery

Mary Casanova says “there’s more than a little of me in ‘Little Otter’.”
The award-winning and distinguished Ranier author is referring to the main character of her latest picture book “Utterly Otterly Day,” published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.
With playful drawings and language, the book illustrates how a frisky little otter pushes the boundaries of discovery. It also imparts why creatures should both explore life, as well as heed the advice of their families. Little Otter’s life is full and rich with new experiences, but he also learns the value of family guidance.
Casanova said she didn’t want this tale to shame the young character for being exploratory as do several children’s classics, but rather wishes that the experience itself be the teacher.
The Ranier waterfront outside her home has been its own “otter theater” for Casanova and her pets. “Utterly Otterly Day came out of living up on Rainy Lake and observing otters,” she told The Journal. She explained that through all seasons, animated otters have teased the family dog off their dock; and played on the ice during the coldest of winter days.
This is the third book on which Casanova has collaborated with illustrator Ard Hoyt. Hoyt’s drawings are kid-magnets with charming and likable renderings of cuddly characters. There’s a natural, sugar-free sweetness to Little Otter and his family, and yellow butterflies light regularly throughout the pages of the book.
Casanova dedicates the book to her mother, whom she says has been her “champion over the years.” The writer explained that she also was adventurous from an early age and went on to stretch her parents’ trust in her judgment many times. That included Casanova’s 60-mile horseback trip at age 14; working at a Colorado camp at age 16; graduating early through “a loophole” and heading to Florida with girlfriends; heading to Aspen in a $25 car to become a ski bum at age 18; and hitchhiking along the California coast at age 19. That latter adventure now has Casanova cringing as a parent.
But her parents were always there, she says, even though she didn’t always listen to their advice. Her father, who passed away two years ago, had a playful nature like an otter. But Casanova said she owes her love of water and nature to her mother, who at 79, still loves to swim and kayak. Recently watching the movie “The Sound of Music” together at her Ely home, Casanova’s mother likened her daughter to the musical’s character “Maria” — always somewhat of a problem to be solved.
Quoting one of her writing cohorts, Casanova said “We write behind our own backs.” She explained that “even when we’re writing something and certain that there isn’t any connection with us as the writer, there always is...” Casanova said she often comprehends after the completion of a particular story (as do many writers), why she wrote it. Here, the result was the realization that the essence of Little Otter was a lot like Mary Casanova.
Harboring the idea of writing a story about otters, Casanova hit on the idea of presenting their fun-loving nature through the use of frolicsome language.
Embodied right in the very title of “Utterly Otterly Day,” is the breaking of a writers axiom to avoid adverbs, according to Casanova. Blatantly, Casanova purposefully added the suffixes “dy,” “ty” and “ly” for expression, creating rhythmic descriptions such as “whippidy, slippidy, clickety, clunkety, perfectly, pelicanly, bobbily, beaverly”, and other cleverly crafted tempos. Casanova’s cadence is catchy, as Dr. Seuss or Shel Silverstein might have agreed.
“Picture books are never easy, though they seem so when they work well,” she said. “But each word counts and has to carry its weight; the story has to have a certain kind of rhythm or ‘bumpity bumps’ in it; and ultimately, it has to be both entertaining and illuminating, offering something universal to readers young and old.”
Casanova used both onomatopoeia (words such as buzz or murmur that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to) and alliteration (the repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of words) in her story — methods which give the story its own velocity.
The author said she is appreciates the writers of a local writers group who share their works in progress, and who listened to many drafts of this “seemingly simple story.”
Other collaborations with Hoyt are entitled “One-Dog Canoe” and “Some Dog.” Two more are in the planning, including a Little Otter sequel entitled “Utterly Otterly Night,” scheduled for release sometime in 2009.
Casanova will autograph her books on Crazy Daze from 8-9:30 a.m. at Ronnings in the Falls. “Utterly Otterly Tale” is labeled for children ages 3 to 6 and is priced at $16.99.

More information on local author Mary Casanova and her books is available at www.marycasanova.com.