LITTLE LOU AND JUST BEING YOU

In Assini’s picture book, a pet-store fish tries changing the way she looks to attract an owner.

Little Lou is a happy blue-gray fish who likes having fun with her snail friend, Frank. On the eve of the pet fair, Lou’s glamorous pink tankmate, a fish named Priscilla, says that Lou needs to be dressy, poofy, frilly, shiny, and slinky to find an owner. But Lou’s attempts to do so only end up making her look ridiculous, as she ordinarily tends to be messy, goofy, silly, slimy, and stinky. Frank urges her to be herself, and as a result, both she and Frank find an owner. Mitchell tells Lou’s story through simple prose and an AABB rhyme scheme that mostly avoids forced word choices: “Out of the blue, there appears a pink fish. / ‘Call me Priscilla,’ she says with a swish.” The plot, though predictable, carries a worthwhile lesson that should appeal to youngsters. Yura’s full-color cartoon illustrations are constrained by the repetitive elements of the tank environment, but nevertheless serve the characters well. Lou, Frank, and Priscilla’s looks call to mind Finding Nemo, and the underwater colors, though subdued, have some sparkle. Brief images set outside the tank, depicting human society, reveal deft artistic touches, such as animal silhouettes at the pet fair.

A light, rhyming cautionary tale that happily swims along.