A Day with Rory and his Magical Otter Book

| Rory & Mitzi |
It was a wonderfully breezing morning as Cheri, Mitzi, and our Livie & Luca Customer Service team made their way to Guru Donuts in downtown Boise Idaho.  We met Rory, his younger brother Euan, and his mom Gillian Hill for our highly anticipated Otter Book Reading. Every Tuesday at Guru donuts is “The Tasty Tales Storytime,” from 10 am-11 am.  The Rediscovered Book Shop, of Boise, partners with Guru Donuts to host this gathering for the children in their community.

 
Guru Donuts prides itself on creating handcrafted, “creatively topped” donuts, and proud they should be. They offer 23 unique donuts, each one a visual masterpiece. The “Alice in Wonderland” came highly recommended. The perfectly pink “Strawberry Shortcake” and “Lemon Lavender” both made their way onto our plate.  The “Lemon Lavender” won Mitzi’s approval. Guru certainly deserves to be a stop on every visit to downtown Boise.

Guru started filling with laughter and play as the community gathered into the donut shop. Tables and chairs moved as a rug was sweetly placed in front of Rory to allow the children to assemble around his new Otter shoes.  Instantly it was clear that Rory had prepared for his debut Otter Book reading. He read the title bravely with enthusiasm “You Know You Are Like an Otter Beeeeeeeccccccaaaaaauuuuuusssssseeeeeee……” and proceeded to face the cover of the book out to his audience. He moved the images displayed in the book from left to right several times, ensuring every eye in the room had a chance to marvel at his creation. While midway through his reading Rory noticed for the first time that the otter illustrated in the book was wearing the same Otter Shoes Rory had on his own feet. He found this extremely funny, and his reaction caused a joyous giggle in the crowd.

Rory & Brother in Otter Shoes

Rory wrapped up his reading with a round of applause and made his way over to the book signing table, where he received his fans.  He confidently answered questions and gave each fan his undivided attention and a signed copy of his book.

 

Our next stop was Rory’s school, where he would be reading to 42 students in the second grade.   Mitzi greeted the class, and they discussed what it meant to be an endangered species, such as the river otter portrayed in Rory’s book. Mitzi guided the conversation with the children with a discussion on compassion, and the children shared their personal experiences.  Rory read his book with the same dynamic annunciation as he did at Guru donuts. However, this time he would graciously pause to answer the questions from his fellow students. At the end of the reading, Rory took several inquisitive questions from his classmates.

Our next stop was the Public Library! in Boise, where Rory would read his book during storytime.  Yes, the Library! does have an “!” at the end of its name. The story goes that Howard Olivier, an avid library goer,  felt that just having the name Library did not capture the essence of the Library!. He asked if he could sponsor the addition of the “!” to the Library’s name, and the city agreed.

Rory read his story at the Library! and chatted with the crowd, telling them how he intends to write additional books.

Thank you, Rory, for an incredible day. We are honored to have co-created this book with you and your mom, Gillian. 


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