Whale Comedian

This attempt at humor on the high seas is all wet. Finston is a serious-looking boy, but his inner comedian is just dying to get out. One of Finston's bathtub toys, a killer whale, ""always seem[s] very pleased"" when Finston tries to entertain it, and so Finston believes ""he could make other whales happy, too."" Like a junior Shecky Green or Carrot Top, Finston packs up his props and sets sail, yucking it up with sea creatures (e.g., he trips and says, ""I did that on porpoise!""). He eventually finds work in marine amusement parks, cheering up depressed performing whales. Jordan's (A Pile of Pigs) bright, cartoonish art-especially Finston's wacky outfit-adds some buoyancy, but the story unfortunately sinks. Ages 5-9. (June)