Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton
My rating: 5/5 cats
if i’m being honest, this doesn’t really stand up to my other five star cat ratings, even my five star cat ratings specific to other children’s picture books.
but sometimes it’s just about what you need at a particular time, and this book brought a goofy smile to my face when i really really needed it.
i mean, look at that – how can you be anything but charmed by that face?
the answer is – you cannot, sir.
this is just a cute book about a narwhal and a jellyfish who are friends.
or, rather, who become friends after some initial suspicion on the part of the jellyfish.
it’s three short stories with two shorter interludes between ’em.
in the first story, narwhal and jellyfish suss each other out, taxonomically, in the second, they expand their social circle to include many other aquatic pals, and in the third, narwhal shares his favorite book with jellyfish and everyone learns a little something about the power of imagination.
the interludes include fun nature facts about both narwhal and jellyfish and a narwhal song.
and what ties it all together?
waffles.
these kids sure do like waffles.
every chance this guy has to draw a waffle, he will draw a waffle.
and it’s that sort of charming silliness that activated my giggles when i thought i had no giggles left to spare.
so, yeah, it’s a 60-page book; it’s not going be what gets you through a long rainy afternoon and you probably won’t hand it down through the generations as a treasured heirloom, but it is wicked adorable, and when they start merching this out into stuffed animals and coffee mugs, make sure you give me and my wallet a call.
