What do you do when a new kids joins your school. What do you do when they are bossy and get everyone to do what they want to do? You stand up for everyone else. ( )

Sea Monster Ernest is eager to show the new fish around school. But the new fish isn't nervous, like Ernest was when he first came. In fact, the new fish is a little...make that a LOT...bossy. He gets more and more controlling, until he starts the Fresh Fish Club for cool fish and Ernest, while happy to be included, is worried about the fish who are left out. Ernest comes up with a non-confrontational, if a little sappy, solution and everyone is happy again, even the new bossy fish.

Andy Rash's cartoons are bright and colorful, with silly fish faces and lots of clever artwork fitting the giant sea monster in with the other fish. The fish have big, bulbous eyes and a plethora of patterns and shapes. With their very human expressions matched to fishy bodies, kids and adults will get a kick out of the child-pleasing art.

I have to admit I was skeptical when I first picked this book up. I'm not a fan of bibliotherapy and I dislike the whole bullying theme in books for younger kids. Parents do ask for them - I had a patron request picture books on bullying because she said there were a lot of bullies at her child's preschool - but I'm personally not a fan of labeling bully behavior in such young children. A three year old, in my opinion, isn't a bully - they're a three year old! Not to mention so many of these books fall into the "big stupid bully" cliche or the "bully who really just wants to be friends" cliche.

However, I should have expected an excellent author like Kate Messner to steer clear of these pitfalls and this is one book I'd feel happy handing to parents whose kids are having social difficulties in school. Her fishy kids are very realistic, from Ernest who's easily swayed by the exciting new kid, even if he has doubts, to the bossy new kid himself. I especially appreciated that she didn't label the kids and showed the subtle social interactions that went on without making on of the kids out to be the bad guy - just not understanding how to play nicely. While the solution is a little mature for the kids to come up with on their own, and a little sappy, it fit in well with the book.

Verdict: If you have parents clamoring for anti-bully books, and you probably do since that's one of the "hot topic" issues right now, this is a really good choice for younger kids, with a funny story, a gentle lesson, and no black and white labeling.

ISBN: 9781452112534; Published 2013 by Chronicle; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Added to the library's tentative order list

See my review on Reading Rumpus ( )

Ernest’s class is getting a new fish (student). The new kid is an average sized fish with an oversized ego. He is also bossy and a bit of a bully. He is always right, things must go his way, and he is always the leader. At first, the other fish listened and were a little amazed. Soon, the new fish’s “mine was better” comments and “no, do it my way” orders nagged the other fish, yet no one said anything, not even when the new fish excluded some of the students from his new club. Ernest has a heavy conscience and it weighed on him. He decided to take action.

The illustrations are wonderful with edge-to-edge color and loads of funny details. I especially liked the library books. In his pile of ten books, the new fish carried, The World According to Carp and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Minnow. Mr. Blue, the librarian, has several interesting recommendations. They include If You Give a Trout an Algae Treatment, Gar in a Car, Where the Wild Fish Are, and, of course, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. The school fish are a wondrous group of variations kids will love. Nothing is made-up. All the fish are real. How many fish can your child identify? Turn it into an impromptu game.

I really like Sea Monster and the Bossy Fish. Visually, it looks fun and will catch eyes. Often the illustrations say more than the text, though the text tells a good story kids will find relatable. Ah, another impromptu game, which fish are you? And why? I love books that have several ways to communicate the story or the message, if there is one. Books with multiple possibilities like Sea Monster and the Bossy Fish kids read more often, but I think this must happen naturally from a good story with great illustrations.

Sea Monster and the Bossy Fish has the elements I like in a picture book. The new kid, who is bossy, a bully and a braggart has no name, meaning any child can slip his name into the story. Color runs boarder-to-boarder and the illustration details are terrific with small details having the biggest payoff. Sea Monster and the Bossy Fish is a relatable story kids and parents will enjoy. With the start of school lurking around the corner—or already started—Sea Monster and the Bossy Fish is a good back-to-school story that reinforces inclusion and a positive, helpful attitude. Preschool through second grade classrooms would do well to have Sea Monster and the Bossy Fish in their classroom libraries.

Originally Reviewed at Kid Lit Reviews
http://kid-lit-reviews.com/2013/08/11/review-sea-monster-and-the-bossy-fish-by-k... ( )