Ring Of Bright Water

When I was a kid I remember watching a film about otters, and years later, after a random visit to an Otter sanctury,  I found out that the film in question was ‘Ring Of Bright Water’. In light of that revelation I decided that rather than re-watch the film, I’d buy the book instead. This was a GREAT decision.

I went into the book thinking otters were pretty cool. I came out obsessed. To sum up the (true) story, Gavin moves to a remote area of Scotland with his pet Otter, Mijbil. I won’t go into details as I don’t want to ruin the story for anyone who has yet to enjoy it, but the thing that really makes this story shine is the wonderful relationship Gavin has with his Otter, Migbil. I fell head over heels in love with the cute little guy. Gavin helps the story flow with his skilled writing and I remember finishing the book in two or three days (which is unbeliably fast for me). Luckily I found out he has also written a sequal The Rocks Remain (1963), which is about his subsequant otters, Edal, Teko and Mossy.

Ring Of Bright Water was definitely my favourite though, and this was the one they turned into the film in 1969 I remember seeing as a kid. I also recently rewatched that, and it’s pretty good. Not 100% true to the book, but films never are, and they definitely didn’t ruin it. The little Otter actor is also pretty cool.

Ring Of Bright water back in 1960 so Gavin and the otters in his books are long gone and the house where it’s all set burnt down in 1968. Thankfully, the legacy remains within the pages of his books. Ring of bright has actually sold over 2 million copies, and is still warming hearts around the globe today. It’s a well written book in general, but if you have a soft spot for otters, you should really pick it up. You WILL love it.