Dear Hug Bug Friends,

Fall is in the air! Time to go back to school to reconnect with our friends and learn more about this wonderful world that we live in! The cones from the Douglas fir trees in the forest are dropping on my roof. Tap, Tap, Tap! They hold the seeds that can become new trees. The apples are ripening on the trees near my cabin on Okanagan Lake, in Vernon. The rains will soon come to water our dry gardens. We Need Water Everyday!

I am still swimming in the ocean, but I can feel the cool breezes of Fall. The leaves are changing colour and soon it will be time for Thanksgiving and Halloween!

New Picture Book

This has been an exciting year so far. I have a new Picture Book, “Charlotte Diamond’s Animal Friends – a Collection of Songs”, released by Orca Book Publishers in Canada and the USA. It features beautiful illustrations (by Eunji Jung) for thirteen of my favourite animal songs, like, “Octopus (Slippery Fish),” “Sasquatch”, “Dicky Dinosaur”, “Ottie the Otter”, “Slimy the Slug”, and “Animals Have Personality”. I hope that you will enjoy reading and singing with my book! It is full of rhythm and rhymes. Check with your local libraries or booksellers for availability. You can also order it directly from www.orcabook.com.

My book received a Highly Recommended Review by CM Canadian Review of Materials.

Grandmother Reading Charlotte’s New Book to her Grandchildren

The Story Behind the Song

I love writing and recording songs about animals and nature. Every song has a story.

I wrote “Ottie the Otter” while watching wild sea otters off the West Coast of British Columbia, near Tofino. Sadly, they were hunted in the past for their beautiful fur and became extinct on our coast. Pairs of sea otters from Alaska and California were reintroduced off the West Coast of Vancouver Island, and now they are thriving and having pups! So are the kelp forests that they live in! Sea otters spend their whole life in the ocean. Enjoy learning, singing and reading about Ottie and her pup.

By Charlotte Diamond and Matt Diamond
© Charlotte Diamond Music 2012 SOCAN

1.
Ottie the Otter, swimming in the water,
Doing what an otter ought to do,
See her floating on her back, back, back,
Opening a clam with a smack, smack, smack!
Smack, smack, smack on her back, back, back!

2.
Ottie the Otter, swimming in the water,
Doing what an otter ought to do,
See her dive to the deep, deep, deep,
Scooping up urchins to eat, eat, eat.
Eat, eat, eat from the deep, deep, deep …
Smack, smack, smack on her back, back, back!

3.
Ottie the Otter, swimming in the water
Doing what an otter ought to do
See her floating on the kelp, kelp, kelp,
Calling to her pup with a yelp, yelp, yelp.
Yelp, yelp, yelp on the kelp, kelp, kelp…
Eat, eat, eat from the deep, deep, deep …
Smack, smack, smack on her back, back, back!

4.
Ottie the Otter, swimming in the water
Doing what an otter ought to do
Cradling her pup on her tummy warm,
Keeping him safe from the ocean storms.
Tummy warm in the ocean storms …
Yelp, yelp, yelp on the kelp, kelp, kelp…
Eat, eat, eat from the deep, deep, deep …
Smack, smack, smack on her back, back, back!

There are more verses in my new picture book and on my CD, “Diamonds by the Sea”. For Teachers, there is a lesson with actions on my YouTube Channel.

A Gift For You!

Free Song Download!

Until September 30, 2022, I’m offering my newsletter subscribers a FREE DOWNLOAD of “Ottie the Otter”. CLICK HERE to go to the store, and then click on “Add to Cart”. At checkout, enter coupon code:

     [hidden – only available to newsletter subscribers]

After entering the coupon, you’ll see a credit in your shopping cart of $0.99 for the song purchase. Then proceed through checkout to get immediate access to your song download. (If you aren’t purchasing any other items, you won’t be asked to enter a credit card. We do need your name, address, and Email address though, to process the order.)

Did you miss out on the free song download? Click here to subscribe to the Hug Bug newsletter and you’ll be among the first to learn about our special offers!

Jump In and Sing!

Do you like to swim or play in the water? Can you flip like a porpoise or spout like a whale? Here is song for you to “Jump in and Sing!”

By Charlotte Diamond SOCAN 2000

CHORUS
Splishin’… Splashin’
Splishin’ and Splashin’ around in the water
I’m Splishin’… Splashin’
Jumping around making waves.

1.
I can dive in the water …
Slide like an otter…
Flip like a porpoise, spout like a whale.

I can leap like a salmon…
Float like a seahorse …
Slap like a beaver and I don’t need a tail.

CHORUS

2.
I can croak like a frog …
Hop off a log …
Dabble like a duck and glide like a swan.

I can bark like a seal …
Spark like an eel …
Meow like a catfish deep in the pond.

CHORUS

When we sing songs, we learn so many new words. I love singing and dancing with my three-year old grandson, Fraser. His favourite songs are, “Octopus (Slippery Fish)” and “Sasquatch”. I enjoy playing ukulele and guitar with my older grandsons who are now teenagers. They also love to sing and help me write my songs.

You can add new verses to any of my songs. Do you know about “Dicky Dinosaur”? She is a hip, hopping Stegosaurus! Rhythm, rhyme and repetition help us to remember.

Have fun learning more about our amazing animal friends and how we can protect them so they will always be part of our world.

Find Me on YouTube

Sing along with me on my YouTube Channel – Charlotte Diamond Official!

Be Kind. Care and Share and Leave the World a Little Bit Better!

Write to me anytime and send your ideas to me by email or visit my Charlotte Diamond Fan Page on Facebook. I always write back!

To join the Hug Bug Club, please send your name and address to our NEW mailing address:

or email fanmail@charlottediamond.com