Saturday, September 20, 2014

The Octonauts and the Scary Spookfish -- OPTIONAL

The Octonauts and the Scary Spookfish. Penguin Young Readers, 2014. $3.99. Content: G.

Peso the penguin loves to aid other animals who are hurt or sick. But after he helps a sea cucumber recuperate, he must take her back to her home in a very deep part of the ocean. When Peso tries to return to his own home, his ship splutters and dies. To make matters worse, the water's too deep for his radio to work, so he can't call for help. Lucky for him, Captain Barnacles and Kwazii find him.

For a short book, this one manages to have several annoying plot holes, including (but not limited to) the question of how Peso found the sea cucumber in the first place if her home is so deep, and how his friends found out he was in trouble so they could come rescue him. The illustrations in the story's climax are unclear as well, making it difficult to see exactly how Peso is finally rescued. And as for the rescue, it would have been nice if Peso had at least tried to figure out how to rescue himself instead of sitting by, helplessly waiting for others to save him. The biggest draw for this book will likely Octonauts fans -- especially those who aren't reading carefully enough to question the plot inconsistencies. Others who aren't familiar with the TV series will probably feel less connection with the story and its characters.

Pre-K, EL (K-3) -- OPTIONAL. Reviewer: Caryn

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