This Is a Seahorse

July 15, 2020
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. (Informational picture book. 5-8)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 31, 2020

PreS-Gr 2-The book opens with a photo of a chalkboard and a homework assignment to "write a report about an interesting animal from our field trip to the aquarium." What follows are the actual pages of Cassandra's report on the seahorse, written in childish scrawl on lined paper. A seahorse, who is featured on each page, is no inanimate illustration but instead turns out to be a very exacting critic. In fact, he is easily affronted by most of what Cassandra writes. He is horrified that this child originally thought one could ride a seahorse and is deeply insulted when she compares them to opossums, which the seahorse describes as "nasty creatures." Things continue to deteriorate with insults flying until Cassandra reveals that the "daddies" give birth, which makes seahorses super weird, and super weird is very cool. Federman (This Is a Sea Cow) has penned another creative and thoroughly delightful tale that will be an instant hit with kids and their parents. The digitally collaged art is eye-catching and wonderfully done. There are more amazing facts on seahorses at the end including a way for readers to adopt one. VERDICT A definite purchase for all collections; children will roar at the interactions between the seahorse and Cassandra.-Amy Nolan, St. Joseph P.L., MI

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 29, 2021
In Federman's latest picture book (This Is a Sea Cow, 2019), the seahorse in question has a lot of problems with how he is being portrayed by the young researcher who's writing a school report about him. He doesn't like being compared to land horses, opossums, anteaters, or kangaroos; he believes he is special and unique and deserves to be treated as such. But by the end of the assignment, both the writer and subject agree that seahorses are weird--and weird is good! The story contains a large amount of information about the anatomy and life of seahorses, portrayed in alternating child-like pencil drawings and adorable marker illustrations. As the author and subject argue about characteristics, the seahorse finds he may have alienated his animal-kingdom neighbors. It's a nice reminder that similarities don't erase uniqueness, but create shared experience instead. Readers who are interested in zoology and silliness will enjoy this brief but fun journey through parts of the natural world.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.