THE WORRY-WORRY WHALE AND THE CLASSROOM JITTERS

In this new series—a spinoff from the Pout-Pout Fish books—Willa has a whale of a problem.

Willa the whale’s a worrywart. She feels timid about raising her fin in class: What if she takes too long to answer or, worse, gets it wrong? When her teacher calls on her encouragingly, Willa remains silent. Whew! That worked; she’s saved. But Willa begins to reflect on the teacher’s comment to the class: “It isn’t always easy / To share the things we know, / But ideas, thoughts, and questions / Are the way we learn and grow.” At home, Willa’s parents let her know that she’s not alone in her fears. They do some role-playing, with Willa pretending to be the teacher. Willa learns about pausing before answering and, if necessary, giving a partial answer, then asking for help in finding more information. Willa repeatedly reminds her “students” of her teacher’s mantra. The next day, Willa feels confident about answering in class and realizes it’s OK to answer incorrectly. Guess who raises her fin now? This cute, jauntily rhyming tale may allay some kids’ concerns, though real-life worries aren’t overcome quite so easily. Still, it’s a tale sure to buoy young readers, and Willa’s parents are reassuringly lovely. The colorfully cartoony illustrations are sweet and expressive; Willa’s varied marine-life classmates are adorable.

Imparts a solid message: Try your best and be your fin-tastic self.