Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima (review)

Kelp’s got the single tusk like his narwhal family and friends, but the rest of his body doesn’t seem to be cut out for swimming: four legs and a hairy tail does not a smooth, gliding form make. When he’s swept away by a current (he really is a terrible swimmer) and washes up on shore, he’s found by a group of helpful “land narwhals”; they explain that he, like them, is a unicorn, and they happily school him on all the ways of unicorn-ness. As much as he enjoys his land life, he misses his narwhal family. Can he reconcile the two essential parts of his identity? Of course he can, proven by the epically adorable last scene in which narwhals and unicorns are happily cavorting on a beach, playing water volleyball, building sandcastles, and having a grand hoopla of a time surrounded by, what else, rainbows. The digitally created art makes Kelp’s land and sea settings distinctly different: dappled, watercolor-like textures float through the marine scenes while sharper, more contrasted elements fill the landlubbing pages. Panels and speech balloons help move the action along and keep the humor lively. The real appeal, however, lies in Sima’s brilliant and savvy details: Kelp uses bijou arm floaties when swimming with the narwhals, a crab waves its tiny claws in farewell to Kelp, and unicorns wield their horns to roast marshmallows. Swap the tired Ugly Duckling for this delightfully absurd tale of knowing who you are and where you came from.