Sam Garton's Blog

I've just developed an app that allows you to dress Otter! Hopefully this should be lots of fun. Would love to know what everyone thinks?

https://www.iamotter.co.uk/dress-otter/

Yesterday (Tuesday) was a very special day because Otter Keeper finally took us to see Jurassic World! The ‘day’ bit of Tuesday went quite slowly because we had to wait for Otter Keeper to get home from work.

While we waited, Teddy, Giraffe, and I practised being at the cinema by sitting on the sofa with the curtains closed and the light off. I had to get some other friends from the toy box to help (you need more than 3 people in a cinema for it to be realistic) and it was then that I came up with the idea of taking an extra friend to the (real) cinema with us. This is Derek — Derek is a dinosaur, and so I thought the film would be quite relevant for him.After Otter Keeper got home, we had to have dinner, but no one was hungry. Instead, I did a lot of talking about dinosaurs and cinemas and got quite tired. Otter Keeper made me sit on the sofa for a bit and I had some juice and then everything was OK.

A few things went wrong when it was time to leave. Firstly, Derek couldn’t come. Otter Keeper said you can only take 2 friends to the cinema! I wasn’t aware of this rule, but seeing as Derek is only an extra friend, this wasn’t too much of a problem. Secondly, at the very last minute Giraffe suddenly announced that he didn’t have his cinema outfit on! It was a disaster, until Otter Keeper said he didn’t think Giraffe actually had a cinema outfit. I asked Giraffe if he was telling the truth and it turns out he wasn’t. So, after that we all (minus Derek) got into the car.

In the cinema I sat next to Otter Keeper on one side and Giraffe and Teddy on the other. We all got big bags of popcorn, apart from Giraffe and Teddy. Otter Keeper said that if they wanted popcorn they’d have to share mine. (Luckily, after a quick discussion, they both decided they didn’t like popcorn anymore.)

Jurassic World was probably the best film EVER, but I’m not entirely sure because I didn’t watch much of it. I wasn’t scared, I just didn’t feel like watching for all of the time. There are other fun things to do in the cinema, like play with your tail or think about the weekend. I really definitely wasn’t scared, though. Did you know that in real life dinosaurs don’t eat otters? I checked this with Otter Keeper a lot during the film. But not because I was scared, because I wasn’t scared… like I said.

When we got home, even though I really wasn’t scared of the film at all one tiny little bit, I decided it would be safer for everyone if Derek was restrained from now on. I felt a little bad, but Derek said he didn’t really mind because he was only an extra friend anyway.

The post Jurassic World appeared first on I AM OTTER.

How To Make The Best Father’s Day Gift EVER!

Important news, everyone, it’s Father’s Day this Sunday! In case you don’t know what Father’s Day is, it’s a bit like an extra birthday for dads. If you’re still finding that hard to get your head around (don’t worry, It took Teddy a while too) just imagine Mother’s Day, but swap the mum for a dad.

Anyway, because I always make Otter Keeper the BEST gifts, I thought I’d share my technique so you have time to make a gift like mine in time for the big day!

The post Father’s Day Gift ideas appeared first on I AM OTTER.

Important news, everyone, it’s Father’s Day this Sunday! In case you don’t know what Father’s Day is, it’s a bit like an extra birthday for dads. If you’re still finding that hard to get your head around (don’t worry, It took Teddy a while too) just imagine Mother’s Day, but swap the mum for a dad.

Anyway, because I always make Otter Keeper the BEST gifts, I thought I’d share my technique so you have time to make a gift like mine in time for the big day!

 

The post How To Make The Best Father’s Day Gift EVER! appeared first on I AM OTTER.

Finally, after a whole year (which is ages) of waiting, my next book is out! If you get a copy today then please do tell me and Teddy what you think. We love this book very, very much. It’s actually our favorite one yet! (I told Giraffe that his favorite had to be the first book, this way it wouldn’t feel left out.)

Otter Keeper was chatting with me last night and explained that we have to try to sell as many copies of this book as we can. Apparently this isn’t so we get more pocket money, but if we sell enough copies then we will get to make more books! If anyone has clever ideas about how to sell books then do let us know! These are my ideas so far:

Request my book in your local book store. While you’re there tell them all about me. Why not bring props (toaster) to help explain? If they look confused, remember they are probably just excited.
Request my book at your local library. Requesting things at the library is always fun, and this way lots of people will get to find out about me and Teddy!
Buy a copy of my book as a present for someone else. If you don’t know someone else that would appreciate my book, buy it for them anyway and say Giraffe told you to do it and you haven’t got time to discuss things. At this point, suggest playing a game/watching a movie so things don’t get awkward.
Leave me reviews and ratings! Here are the links to where to do so: Amazon, Barnes&Noble and Goodreads.
Write about me on your blog/website/Facebook/Twitter. It would make an Otter and Teddy very happy!

If you can do any of the above, then let me and Teddy know so that we can say thank you! I have to go and run around the house and be excited for a bit now, today is a very ‘running around the house and being excited’ sort of day.

 

‘Otter In Space’ Is available to buy online in places such as: Indiebound, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, BooksAMillion.

 

The post ‘Otter In Space’ Is out today! appeared first on I AM OTTER.

Today in the UK it is National Christmas Jumper Day! Everyone gets to wear Christmas jumpers which helps raise money for ‘Save The Children’. Teddy and I didn’t want to miss out, so we made Otter Keeper buy us these. They are a bit big, but the ones we wanted only came in this size. What do you think?

If you live in the UK and want to find out more/donate, here is a useful link: http://jumpers.savethechildren.org.uk/

Christmas Jumper day is the best idea ever, so I’ve asked Otter Keeper if we can donate our pocket money this week.

Attic Mission Is Go

This Saturday, at exactly 20 minutes after lunch… the Attic Mission finally happened!!! After waiting for such a long time, Teddy and I were very surprised when Otter Keeper made the announcement. All colouring-in for the afternoon was cancelled, and we had to prepare for a last minute departure. The mission was very exciting, but it didn’t go quite as planned…

The first problem we ran into was that Otter Keeper decided we couldn’t bring the Anti-Spider Protection Vehicle. Apparently, it was too big to fit through the attic hatch. This was a huge blow for me and Teddy, and we told Otter Keeper he was putting the entire mission into jeopardy. Then Otter Keeper said there would be no mission at all if we insisted on taking the A.S.P.V. so we decided to keep quiet.

Obviously, with the threat of spiders and without protection, I was forced to set up my command post at the top of the ladder. Teddy was sent into the attic to do research on the end of a string. From the data Teddy collected, and my observations from the command post, our important attic notes are as follows:

The rumours are not true: Santa does not live in the loft.
Spiders are cleverer than everyone thought. They designed attic hatches to be too small for otters to bring their Anti-Spider Protection Vehicles.
If you are an otter going to the attic, your legs WILL be too small for the ladder. Always bring an Otter Keeper to help carry you.
Tying Teddy to a string is surprisingly fun, and should be done more often.

I felt very sad when the Attic Mission was over and Otter Keeper carried us back down the ladder. However, I soon realised he was bringing someone else down with us! Otter Keeper said he’d found his old Teddy from years ago when he was small, and he thought maybe we’d like to meet him. This was great news — we hadn’t expected to make a new friend!

The rest of the day was spent getting to know ‘Cedric.’ He’s really friendly and has lots in common with Teddy. However, Teddy is being a bit rude. He refuses to talk to Cedric and won’t tell me why. I’ve told him not to be jealous, and that he will always be my best friend because I’ve known him the longest, but so far he’s stayed silent.

I hope Teddy and Cedric can resolve their issues soon. I wanted to make an attic presentation to Giraffe this evening, and this will be awkward if everyone’s not getting on.

 

The post Attic Mission Is GO! appeared first on I AM OTTER.

This Saturday, at exactly 20 minutes after lunch… the Attic Mission finally happened!!! After waiting for such a long time, Teddy and I were very surprised when Otter Keeper made the announcement. All colouring-in for the afternoon was cancelled, and we had to prepare for a last minute departure. The mission was very exciting, but it didn’t go quite as planned…

The first problem we ran into was that Otter Keeper decided we couldn’t bring the Anti-Spider Protection Vehicle. Apparently, it was too big to fit through the attic hatch. This was a huge blow for me and Teddy, and we told Otter Keeper he was putting the entire mission into jeopardy. Then Otter Keeper said there would be no mission at all if we insisted on taking the A.S.P.V. so we decided to keep quiet.

Obviously, with the threat of spiders and without protection, I was forced to set up my command post at the top of the ladder. Teddy was sent into the attic to do research on the end of a string. From the data Teddy collected, and my observations from the command post, our important attic notes are as follows:

The rumours are not true: Santa does not live in the loft.
Spiders are cleverer than everyone thought. They designed attic hatches to be too small for otters to bring their Anti-Spider Protection Vehicles.
If you are an otter going to the attic, your legs WILL be too small for the ladder. Always bring an Otter Keeper to help carry you.
Tying Teddy to a string is surprisingly fun, and should be done more often.

I felt very sad when the Attic Mission was over and Otter Keeper carried us back down the ladder. However, I soon realised he was bringing someone else down with us! Otter Keeper said he’d found his old Teddy from years ago when he was small, and he thought maybe we’d like to meet him. This was great news — we hadn’t expected to make a new friend!

The rest of the day was spent getting to know ‘Cedric.’ He’s really friendly and has lots in common with Teddy. However, Teddy is being a bit rude. He refuses to talk to Cedric and won’t tell me why. I’ve told him not to be jealous, and that he will always be my best friend because I’ve known him the longest, but so far he’s stayed silent.

I hope Teddy and Cedric can resolve their issues soon. I wanted to make an attic presentation to Giraffe this evening, and this will be awkward if everyone’s not getting on.

 

[image error]

YAY! Otter keeper said we are finally allowed to show you the cover for our next book: Otter In Space. Otter Keeper asked me to point out that Teddy and I don’t actually travel to space in this book (you’ll see when you read it), but that doesn’t stop it from being the best book ever! Giraffe wanted me to mention that he is in it too, and we all know what that means…

 

 

If you liked my first book, I think you will love this one even more! There is no toast restaurant, but there are museums, spaceships, moon rocks, and even dinosaurs (sort of)!

Sadly, we still have to wait until May 2015 until the book comes out. However, you can pre-order it now! Otter Keeper says that pre-ordering a book can help the booksellers get excited about its release, so we would be really grateful to anyone that would like to do this for us!

You can pre-order it here on Amazon

Or here at Barnes&Noble

(Otter Keeper says he will add other pre-order links when they are available!)

Giraffe Gets Bad News




And some glowsticks

Today has been difficult: I had to explain to Giraffe that he won’t be coming on the Attic Mission with us, despite his help with making the Anti-Spider Protection Vehicle. Otter Keeper says we can’t all go to the attic.

I think Giraffe has taken the news fairly well. I’ve given him 2 Glowsticks as compensation and promised to tell him all about the attic when we return. I’ve also said he can look after the torch until Saturday. (I think this has helped a bit, because Giraffe loves the torch.)

This might all be for the best. Giraffe has had no spider training whatsoever, so he just isn’t prepared for attic exploration! Sometimes being the Mission Leader is hard, but I know I’ve made the right decision. (Also, Giraffe doesn’t know how to turn the torch on, so the battery will be safe.)

The post Giraffe Gets Bad News appeared first on I AM OTTER.