Sea Monster's First Day

K-Gr 2—A young sea monster narrates his account of his first day of school as things get off to a rather shaky start. Ernest's large size makes fitting in difficult and also scares off potential friends. He is snubbed by "private schools" (of fish) and bullied and whispered about by largemouth and smallmouth bass before he finally meets some big sturgeons that don't swim away. Things look up, yet Ernest still has problems. Then he sees the giant roller coaster, the Diving Dragon, at the lake's edge and gets an idea to make himself more popular. "With a little imagination and my new friends, this new school was working out just fine." The mixed-media pictures not only support the sketchy story line, but also fill in the gaps. The bold and lively cartoon artwork provides genuine enthusiasm and humor that seems forced and superficial in the writing. Consider this an additional or supplemental purchase.—Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH