Jakub's Otter

Shortlisted in the Spark! School Book Awards 2024-2025

Shortlisted for the School Reading List Children’s Books of the Year 2024

In her first work of fiction, award-winning poet Coral Rumble tells the story of ten-year-old Jakub Polanski. Jakub cares for his single mum, Maria, who has multiple sclerosis. The weight of responsibility has made Jakub almost forget that he’s a child, as his life outside of school is full of adult concerns. Everyone is concerned about Jakub’s mental health and so, to give him a break, life-long family friends, the Koniks, take Jakub on holiday to Italy.

On holiday, Jakub befriends Marta and learns about her passion for writing poetry and storytelling, and she shows him that freedom and adventure are there for the taking. Jakub also discovers that he is funny and smart and is not only defined by being a carer. And, in Italy, Jakub finds hope as he listens to an old, wise woodsman, who teaches him about otters, especially one injured otter called Piccolo.

REVIEWS

“What a gentle, empathetic, beautiful book. Bookwagon recommends Jakub’s Otter highly to all emotionally aware, curious, intelligent readers. It’s ideal for reading aloud, talking about, knowing and treasuring. Coral Rumble is a really insightful, tiptoe aware, writer.” - Bookwagon

“A gentle yet compelling read. This is the first prose novel by the poet Coral Rumble and it is suffused with empathy and kindness. It shines a light on the burden that some children carry when they are carers for their family members. Jakub is also a relatively recent immigrant to the UK from Poland, which adds another dimension to his experiences of trying to get by – at school and at home. A heartwarming read, not just for animal lovers, and a story that would promote empathy.” - BookTrust.org.uk

“Interspersed with poems, and set in the forested hills of Perugia, Coral Rumble’s book quietly takes readers on a real adventure, one involving an encounter with a bear, secret escapades, and the forging of new friendships. The setting is beautifully described, and readers will feel that they too have had an Italian holiday, but just as warm and real is the friendship that develops between the two children. Coral Rumble finds time and space for all this in a book that is thoughtful, memorable and full of insight.” - LoveReading4Kids.co.uk

“If ever you are searching for a book to encourage empathy and kindness, soothe a worried mind and stimulate an interest in our natural surroundings and its inhabitants this is a wonderful example. The characters feel so real, the setting so beautiful and the kindness within its pages so thoughtful that I slowed down my reading as I didn’t want to say goodbye to Jakub and his new friends.” - LibraryLady.blog

“This book isn’t quite like the majority of books written for middle grade readers. It trusts them a bit more and isn’t afraid to be poetic and allusive, not just in language but also in structure. I really can’t recommend this book enough. As an adult reader, I found it beautiful and moving, I believe that many children will love it too. I have long been a fan of Coral Rumble’s poetry for children. This I think deserves to do very well indeed and we should be looking for it in various awards shortlists in the coming year.” - Just Imagine

“A lovely book that tells an all-too-common, sad story in a way that is uplifting rather than depressing or preachy.” - School Reading List

RESOURCES & EXTRAS

Read Coral’s blog to discover more about what inspired her to write Jakub’s story: Poet Coral Rumble introduces her first novel ‘Jakub’s Otter’.

Teaching points and book club discussion ideas from SchoolReadingList.co.uk.

Watch Coral talk about the book in this video recorded for the Spark! School Book Awards.