This is probably really impossible, but I read a series of books about a group of animals in the 60’s. The otters seemed to be a main family, it was a young reads book not a picture book. I can’t remember the name and the title, but was hoping someone would know of it.
I know this is all very vague, but I thought it was worth a try.
Could it have been one of Thorton Burgess’s books?
I remember reading several books, natural history written as narrative. For sure one was “A Bear’s Story”, another “A Beaver’s Story”. “An Otter’s Story” seems like it could have been in the series. They were chapter books with a few pen and ink illustrations.
I think I also remember the books Fran mentions. Along with the animal stories, there were a few other titles, like Circus Stories and Indian Stories. The author’s name was either Doyle, or something very close to Doyle. (I remember they were on the shelf at the end of the Ds, and before the Edward Eager books.) There was a subtitle like “to read aloud” or something similar.
Good luck.
Emil Liers wrote the bear and otter books. I think the Otter’s Story may have been the inspiration for a short Disney documentary. Mr. Liers had a small wildlife park, and my parents let me visit around 1964. I bought my copy of the otter book in his giftshop.