Jakub’s Otter

10-year-old Jakub is a carer for his mum, who has multiple sclerosis. One summer, he leaves his mum with his aunt and goes on holiday to Italy with family friends the Koniks. He finds their daughter Marta quite annoying, and he worries about his mum.

But when the local woodsman, Signor Mancini, shows him an injured otter who needs feeding, Jakub finds a new purpose. And slowly, slowly, he learns to relax, and to open up to the possibility of friendship with Marta.  

Told mostly by Jakub, this is interspersed with poems written by Marta, and it’s 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 to 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.