The Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School (Pout-Pout Fish Adventure)
In this companion to The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark (2010), Mr. Fish recalls his first day of school. Since he doesn’t know where to go, he peers into several classrooms where students are writing, doing math, and drawing shapes. Pout-Pout becomes frustrated because he can’t do the work and vows to “forget it.” Finally, he meets his teacher (Miss Hewitt of the lovely green eyes and long, flowing blond tentacles), who kindly escorts him to her classroom for brand-new fish, where all kinder-guppies succeed. Fans of this series will appreciate Diesen’s rhythmic—and ultimately reassuring—text, and Hanna’s sunny illustrations contain many clever details (an octopus operates a “clam cam,” and the art wing sports a poster of “Leonardo da Pinchy,” an artistic crab). This should comfort school-phobic preschoolers and slightly older children who can remember their own anxieties.      HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Diesen and Hanna are reeling in a big one here. With 1.8 million Pout-Pout books already in print, this might just push it over the big 2. Preschool-Grade 1. --Kay Weisman