THE WORRY-WORRY WHALE AND THE HALLOWEEN SCARIES

For some little swimmers, Halloween isn’t a whale of a good time.

Willa Whale is unhappy. She’s dressed in a “scratchy” vampire costume, complete with fangs. All around her, fish in various disguises are swirling with anticipation, but candy and pumpkins aren’t enough to assuage her feelings. Willa doesn’t like diverging from her routine, so even the Halloween school celebration and the parade are upsetting; so are the decorations in her neighborhood. It’s “much-too-much and all-at-once,” as she puts it. Jumpy, unsettled, and overwhelmed, Willa is ready to bail. Luckily, she knows how to identify her emotions, and she does so back home. Her parents validate her feelings, and Willa finds a way to enjoy the holiday on her own terms, including coming up with a new, unfussy, minimal costume, staying home for a while to give out candy, and, later, trick-or-treating in a familiar locale. Diesen’s bouncy rhymes are reassuring, if sometimes a bit uneven. Hanna’s bright cartoon treatment makes the sea world colorful, if largely indistinguishable from land; the sea creatures look like they’re floating in the air, while other settings include a classroom, cemetery, and house. Nevertheless, kids who don’t happily embrace the unfamiliar will find plenty of comfort—and a few ideas for adapting.

A kind and gentle approach to spooky season sure to soothe the anxious.