Poor Little Guy by Elanna Allen (review)

A tiny yellow fish almost makes it past an octopus without attracting attention, but he is snatched (“Hello, little guy!”) by a tentacle-lined leg. Then he’s subjected to some physical and verbal teasing in a lead-up to—gulp—being eaten: “You’re so cute, you’re more of a breathmint than a fish, really. I bet you even taste cute!” It looks like the end for our small yellow friend, until a page turn reveals his true identity: pufferfish, now in full-on inflated mode. “AAAAHHH!” shrieks the octopus as the pufferfish escapes with the last word: “Poor little guy.” It’s a one-note joke, but it’s a funny one, and youngsters will be tickled by both the illustration of the angry, expanded pufferfish busting out of the startled octopus’s maw and by the satisfying comeuppance, served up to the bully by a surprisingly tough little guy. The illustration are elegant and striking, featuring the diminutive golden pufferfish (wearing his oversized black specs) bobbing against a swirling sea of pale blue-grays that are punctuated by the octopus’ sinuous gray and white form. The hand-lettered text is equally graceful, with the changing size and font providing mood and emphasis cues. Both story and art will carry well to a crowd, making this a particularly seaworthy addition to an ocean-themed storytime or classroom study, or pair it with Klassen’s This Is Not My Hat (BCCB 11/12) for a duo of (fish) tales about rough justice, marine style. Endpapers show our hero’s puffy thwarting of numerous other unsuspecting sea creatures.