Sea Monster's First Day

Ernest, a goofy-looking green sea monster, wants to make friends at school, but he's too big for the jungle gym, is snubbed by private schools of fish ("It felt like everybody was already part of a group"), and gets teased by the largemouth (and smallmouth) bass: "Your mother's a brachiosaurus!" By heeding his mother's advice to use his imagination and maintaining a positive attitude, Ernest rides out the ups and downs of his first day. With ample aquatic puns and boisterous, mixed-media artwork, it's a splashy story about fitting in. Ages 4%E2%80%938. (Aug.)