ANTOINETTE AND THE STORY OF THE JELLYFISH MONSTER

An impatient girl gets stung by jellyfish in this picture book.

“One fine day in Jamaica,” a White girl named Antoinette and her parents visit the beach. Her parents say: “Don’t swim too far out, follow the rules and DO NOT GET INTO ANY TROUBLE.” But Antoinette disregards the advice and swims to a nearby platform where people are lining up to dive. She wants to perform the “biggest cannonball the beach had ever seen” and grows antsy waiting her turn. Antoinette slyly cuts in line and plunges into the ocean where she is “slapped and stung” by jellyfish. On the platform, the dark-skinned lifeguard points to a sign warning, “Danger: stinging jellyfish ahead,” and arranges for a boat to take him and Antoinette, now covered in welts, ashore. But Antoinette’s debacle hasn’t deterred her mischievous spirit. She approaches her parents covered in kelp, giving her a monsterlike appearance. Antoinette’s mother screams in fear of the “jellyfish monster.” Her father smells calamine lotion (ostensibly worn by Antoinette to soothe her welts). He laughs on realizing the creature is his daughter. Using engaging language and kid-friendly rhymes (“Plump and lumpy. Shiny and brilliant. JELLYFISH! They seemed to reach out…wanting to eat her like a nice roast beef dish”), McGregor’s lively story offers essential reminders. Antoinette’s plight underscores the importance of behaving appropriately and listening to others. Shira’s drawn illustrations are simple but effective, depicting diverse, cartoonlike characters and bright, beachy scenes.

A cautionary tale with a sneaky, entertaining protagonist.