Swallow the Leader

An orange fish carrying a flag leads a chain of 10 fish, who follow its every move. “Follow the leader/ to coral caves./ Snap like a crab./ Ride on the waves,” writes Smith (Arctic White), as eight additional fish (and a shark) show up. When fish #1 stops for a snack, the other fish follow suit, eating each other one by one. Sherry’s (Turtle Island) fish are in the wide-eyed, cartoony school of his previous books, but he gives them a rich aquatic environment to explore, assembled from cut-paper shapes and mottled watercolor backdrops. A happy ending caps this cheeky underwater adventure. Ages 4–7. Author’s agent: Ronnie Ann Herman, Herman Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Teresa Kietlinski, Prospect Agency. (Sept.)