Someday, Narwhal

August 21, 2017
A boy keeps a small narwhal as a pet in a fishbowl, but she longs to see the world. Intuiting her wistful desire, the boy works with friends (humans, as well as a giraffe, bat, and penguin) to surmount the obstacles and take her around the neighborhood in a wagon. Bravery and cooperation are at the story’s heart; Mantchev (Strictly No Elephants) concentrates on the way the friends listen to the narwhal’s concerns and how she responds (“If you read the signs to me, I can learn the street names as we go”). Within the story’s fantasy world—in which a narwhal can be kept in a fishbowl, and a boy can have animals as friends—these negotiations are rational and fun, too. Yum (A Piece of Home) brings all of this to life with plenty of color and lively action, using distortion to distinguish the narwhal’s perspective from inside the bowl. Mantchev’s tale also implies that some friends have physical conditions that make help from others necessary—good for post-readaloud discussion. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Sean McCarthy, Sean McCarthy Literary.

August 15, 2017
A tiny narwhal dreams of seeing the world beyond her fishbowl.The little white narwhal's entire universe seems to be an endless circle: the red front door, potted plant, umbrella stand, piano, and back to the red front door. She wants to travel, but she is worried about obstacles. She can't walk, is afraid of getting lost, and doesn't want to get cold. The little white boy who lives outside the bowl sympathizes. His diverse group of friends and their accompanying animals--a penguin, a giraffe, and a bat--are eager to help. They come up with a plan to wheel her through the neighborhood in a little red wagon, and off they go. She is thrilled with everything she sees, especially travel posters that hint of an even wider world. Mantchev keeps the tone simple and innocent, filled with wonder. The friends, both human and animal, are kind and encouraging in words and deeds. Yum's childlike, softly hued, colored-pencil-and-gouache drawings complement the sweetness of the tale, and her animals more closely resemble cuddly toys than their real-life counterparts. However it is the central premise of the narwhal in a fishbowl that is problematic. That very tiny, cute creature is so far from the reality (5 feet long and 200 pounds at birth, with grayish-brown coloring) as to severely compromise the suspension of disbelief. The tender, kind friendship outweighs the flaws. (Picture book. 3-5)

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October 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 1- The little narwhal from Strictly No Elephants gets her own story and it starts out relatively short. "The world doesn't look very exciting from inside a fishbowl. Red front door. Potted plant. Umbrella stand. Piano." Repeat. However, she dreams of seeing the big, wide world beyond her fishbowl. If only she had feet! One day, her boy brings home his friends and their pets, and together they come up with a plan to make the little narwhal's dreams come true. As in the first story, there is a sweetness and simplicity to the tiny animal's dilemma and to her friends' solution. The colored pencil and gouache illustrations depict characters with a variety of skin tones; both human and animal faces are wonderfully expressive. VERDICT Equally good as a stand-alone or for fans of the first book.- Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA

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