Sherry's (I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean
) giant squid with the outsize ego is back, this time asserting his peerless artistic talents. Having shown his skill at drawing both abstractly and from life, the squid declares, “I'm making my masterpiece!” The book itself, however, packs less of a punch. Although the character's manic eyes, cavernous smile and irrepressible self-esteem still exude plenty of charisma (especially after he paints himself a mustache midway through), there's no compelling narrative arc or antagonist this time out; each spread is just another chance for the squid to show something else he can draw or another style he can adopt. When a double-gatefold reveals that the “canvas” for the squid's masterpiece—or, as he calls it, his “mess-terpiece”—is the whale from Biggest Thing
, it's a nice joke, but probably not a big enough one to bring down the house. Ages 3–5. (June)
