THIS IS A SEAHORSE

A seahorse responds to the narrator’s school report on “an interesting animal.”

Young Cassandra’s report is hand-printed primary-grade–style in various angles on wide-lined paper and illustrated with pen, marker, and crayon. Even from the cover readers will recognize that the seahorse is highly offended. In his typed responses, pictured in thought balloons, readers see that he thinks of himself as “quite majestic,” nothing at all like a horse, an opossum with a prehensile tail, or a long-nosed anteater. There are more animal comparisons: Seahorses perform dances with their mates like blue-footed boobies, camouflage like octopuses, and growl like dogs. Finally readers get to what makes seahorses really different: “The DADDIES GIVE BIRTH!” The humor in this spread is especially appealing—the proud daddy’s pouch is depicted as a strapped-on tummy pack, and all his fry have names readers or their classmates might share. Finally, the writer explains why she likes seahorses. They’re “WEIRD,” and “BEING WEIRD IS COOL.” She concludes with a reminder of all the other animals mentioned and a last page of further facts. Following the author’s This Is a Sea Cow (2019), this is similarly engaging, but there’s a serious misstep: a glue-sniffing (or drinking?) duck-billed platypus illustrating “weird.” Better choices might be Jennifer Keats Curtis’ Seahorses, illustrated by Chad Wallace (2012), or Eric Carle’s Mister Seahorse (2004).

Wonderfully silly fun—but flawed.