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    The Little Book of Otter Philosophy
    The Little Book of Otter Philosophy
    The Little Book of Otter Philosophy
    Ebook126 pages1 hour

    The Little Book of Otter Philosophy

    By Jennifer McCartney

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Otters are some of the most delightful animals on the planet.

    These long, lean, furry creatures embody pure joy in so many ways – they live for napping, playing, making friends and eating, and forget about the rest. Pretty inspiring, right?

    In a world that can often seem divided, lonely, and just plain cruel, the otter reminds us of what’s important in life.

    What other animal:
    • Holds hands with their friends whilst napping so they don’t float away?
    • Communicates in a flurry of whistles, chirps, chuckles, clicks and coos?
    • Builds a waterslide on a daily basis?
    • Befriends other species, just because?
    • Eats food off their tummy while floating peacefully with their pals?

    These intelligent, adorable, water-dwelling mammals have a lot to teach us about the way we live. So, kick back, grab a pal, dive in and reconnect with your playful side, just like you otter!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateAug 22, 2019
    ISBN9780008341824
    The Little Book of Otter Philosophy

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    Reviews for The Little Book of Otter Philosophy

    4.5/5

    14 ratings3 reviews

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    • 5/5
      a really fun and cute book! absolutely love the topics that Jennifer wrote and gave me a new perspective lol
    • 5/5
      this is adorable, I loved it! I kept highlighting all the things

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I liked the Sloth Philosophy better. May be because I'm a huge introvert. Otters looked a bit extroverted and outdoorsy to me. But that didn't stop me from enjoying this book. The book was filled with eye-opening ideas. There were times that I wondered 'I knew this, but why didn't I do anything?!' It's an easy read full of things that we already know but afraid to follow.

      1 person found this helpful

    Book preview

    The Little Book of Otter Philosophy - Jennifer McCartney

    Part One

    An Otter Education

    Introduction: Welcome to the Otter Philosophy

    Stressed? Overworked? No time for play? There must be an otter way!

    Otters are some of the most delightful animals on the planet. These long, lean, furry creatures embody pure joy in so many ways. What other species builds water slides for fun? Or holds hands with their friends just because? Or wraps themselves in seaweed, so they can nap without floating away? These intelligent, water-dwelling mammals are not only an essential part of the world’s (and YouTube’s) ecosystem, they also have a lot to teach us about the way we live.

    In a world obsessed with work and productivity, otters are a reminder about the importance of play.* They’re fun, lively animals that love a good laugh with friends. They don’t give a shit about deadlines, or who ate the last bonbon or how many emails are in their inbox. Hell, they don’t really stress about anything. ‘Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game’ is their motto (and Michael Jordan’s). They resist the assumption that being an adult requires a serious, no-nonsense attitude. They embrace playtime like it’s their job. They laugh and chatter and take group naps together, to-do lists be damned. And they’ve also been on this planet in some form or another for around 6 million years – a testament to the value of their way of life, surely? In a world that often feels isolating and lonely, where hard work and productivity are valued above all else, it’s high time we recognised the wisdom of these joyful, friendly animals.

    If you’ve been paying attention to the internet or been to the zoo in recent years, you’re likely a bit envious of the otter already. We’ve all seen videos of otters holding hands, playing with balls and nibbling sea urchins (and I mean literally everyone has seen them – these videos have 40 billion views). And everyone from your mum to your best friend sends you otter GIFs, otter birthday cards and links to articles about otters doing cute things. ‘Look!’ we seem to be saying, ‘Look at this joy! Share this joy with me!’ But perhaps we’re also wondering: is this kind of joy really possible? Well, the otter philosophy is here to tell you that it is. And the PLAY method will show you how. So, what’s their secret? Why are they so happy? What can we learn from these slippery little joy weasels? Read on, and wonder no more.

    The Little Book of Otter Philosophy is packed with otter science, studies on friendship (friends can help you live longer), napping and playfulness (play can keep you feeling younger), quotes, original poems and quizzes to help you live life like you otter.† With chapters on love and friendship, food and drink, leisure and pleasure, work and school, home and the environment and health and happiness, it’ll show you how best to incorporate the otter philosophy into every aspect of your life. Plus, the PLAY philosophy will offer a quick and easy way to remember what you’ve learned. So get ready to reclaim your joy and have a bit of otterly good fun. More fun than a barrel of monkeys, in fact.‡

    Illustration of otter doing a headstand. Caption reads: Let's turn all our assumptions about productivity and our place in a capitalist system upside down!

    * Remember when everyone lost their minds over adult colouring books? We’re desperate for fun.

    † Numerous otter puns are also included for your enjoyment.

    ‡ Otters out-fun monkeys by any measure. Sorry, Curious George.

    Follow the PLAY Method for a More Joyful Life

    ‘Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do. Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.’

    Mark Twain

    Otters love to learn. They’re almost insatiably curious about everything and anything. So the first step to following the otter philosophy is learning its key tenets, albeit in an easy, fun way. Now, every book that purports to be helpful requires a neat acronym to help the memory-challenged among us to retain a useful takeaway. So please find here the PLAY method:

    P

    Plunge in. This probably sounds a bit weird and that’s because there aren’t a lot of motivational things that begin with ‘P’. But the point here is to embrace the elements. Forget about constantly protecting yourself, and be sure to enjoy the opportunity to get wet when it arises – as an otter would. In a literal sense, this means always bringing your swimsuit if there’s a pool, lake, hot tub or lazy river at your destination. It means never bringing an umbrella. (If there’s wind, it’s pointless, and if there’s a light drizzle, enjoy the feeling of getting wet.) In a monsoon, you’re probably indoors anyway. In a figurative sense, taking the plunge means acting impulsively. Trying new things. Fully committing to your actions. Going all in – no half measures here. You get the idea. Basically, always say yes to skinny dipping. I realise it may seem like people only go skinny dipping in the movies, but if you’re young or old or somewhere in between, and someone somewhere asks you if you want to jump naked into a body of water, flabby bits and all, you won’t regret

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