There's a lot of fall-out from the reunion between otter siblings Silken and Sedge, what with Silken being at Greenriver but not wanting what her stay there means in the long run, and leaving her with addled thoughts about her foster parents, the beavers. She should be feeling like she's home, with her brother, her mother and all her kin. But all of that is swept aside when Vane, the swan, fetches up injured. The floods that proved so climactic last time (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4876285187) must have provoked a band of vicious foxes to go in search of a new home – and the holt is a prime target for them. With Vane out of action, and the news of the foxes needing to be spread downriver, it's down to a certain couple of otters to go to the beavers to warn them, and perhaps even inspire them to come and help defend the otter home.

This is once more a wonderful and gripping animal story, mentioning the kitchen otter being able to boil this and the medicine otter able to mix that poultice, but still having otters do otter-y things. It's a blend of modern drama, with an eco tinge now and again, with a timeless animal story your grandparents could have read – but with very new beats, such as when someone deadnames Silken. Indeed it has more perhaps that harks back to books like this of yore – the pro-democracy moral, the songs – but it certainly has a youthful energy, and the whole way the young generation is seen once again to do right is pitching it freshly at a junior audience.

This isn't perfect, once again – it does feel like the middle part of a trilogy, a lot of the time – but it is still very enjoyable. I did struggle to keep a firm grip on who was who at some points, when the heated debates come to the fore, but there is drama aplenty here, in fine style.

I loved this story - the characters, the illustrations and the ‘songs’ all wove together to make a meaningful and touching story.

I’d not read the first book and, whilst I can see it might have added context, I think this book stood up well as a stand-alone.

I will be looking to read the first book now. I don’t want to let the world of these river creatures go!
I wonder if there will be a third book in the series, now we have new characters in the foxes - I hope so!

I was grateful to receive an ARC from NetGalley but my opinions are my own.

The Swan's Warning is a delightful story containing some really nice illustrations. In this second book, we catch up with otter siblings, Sedge and Silken, as they re-adjust to life in the otters' holt.

This is likely to take some time, as Sedge has been out in the wider world for a while, and Silken has returned to her own community after being lost for many years and growing up with the beavers at their lodge.

Sedge's time away has changed him in ways that he cannot explain to the other otters, not least his harrowing encounter with the wolf. Having his sister back is wonderful but also different.

As for Silken - after spending years trying to fit in with the beavers, thinking of herself as some kind of weird runt - she now has to learn how to be an otter. If she wants to, that is. Because Silken has not entirely decided whether or not she is staying with the otters.

Not that either of them have too much time to think about all this. Not after the swan comes to warn them that foxes are moving in the direction of the holt. Both the beavers and the otters are deeply suspicious of foxes, but their approach to the problem proves to be entirely different - leading to tensions that strain the already fragile truce between the two groups.

This is such a beautifully written and evocative story that is about far more than how groups of animals live and behave with each other. There are many life lessons woven in alongside the songs and poetry featured in the book. I loved it and think that children will love it too!

In this sequel to The Story of Greenriver, Silken and Sedge must help the elders of both the otter and beaver communities confront and befriend a group of foxes whose den was destroyed by the river flood.

It helps to have read the first title for context (which I have). There is talking over action in this tale, although the battle with the foxes may be harsher than some expect for this age group, with descriptions of woundings and a character death. The theme of peace over war is very strong throughout, as is the discussions around self-identity. Readers of animal stories may find the pace slower than they would expect from Holly Webb, and the cover is certainly less "cute" than many of her other stories.
There are shades of Tarka the Otter and The Animals of Farthing Wood in this : a thoughtful story for more demanding readers or maybe class discussion

It is a very beautifully written book with a much deeper meaning. It is a story about how the tenuous peace between beavers and the otters was tested when there were news that foxes would be arriving.

I love how there are beautifully written poems / songs woven into the story.