POUT-POUT FISH BACK TO SCHOOL

Mr. Fish provides a glimpse of a substitute teacher’s first day of school.

Though it’s not the official first day of school for everyone, it is the first day Mr. Fish will be a sub. At the school entrance, he meets a small, nervous little fry wearing glasses who is just starting school. Pout-Pout Fish tells him they will have to help each other, and they do, each one drawing on his own confidence and skills when the other is lacking. Mr. Fish remembers where the classroom is, and the fry breaks the ice for the nervous teacher by asking him to tell the class about his own school days. Mr. Fish shares his lunch when the little fish realizes he’s forgotten his, and the fry invites Mr. Fish to play with the students at recess (their ball is the clam they all recently sat with at lunch). It’s a successful day for everyone. Hanna’s cartoon illustrations share the same animation aesthetic that marks the series. This is meant for a younger crowd than the original Pout-Pout Fish books, and this title includes sheets of stickers in the front and back (evidently for general decoration, as there is no indication they should be applied to the book).

Fans of Pout-Pout Fish will get a new perspective in this back-to-school title that shows even adults get nervous when facing the new and unknown.