Happy Narwhalidays (A Narwhal and Jelly Book #5)

by Ben Clanton

Overview

A New York Times Bestseller!

Narwhal and Jelly spread some holiday cheer (and warm waffle pudding) in the festive fifth book of this blockbuster graphic novel series!

Dive into three new stories about Narwhal's favorite time of the year! It's the festive season in the world wide waters, and Narwhal is looking forward to cozying up with a good book, singing and partying with pod pals and enjoying some warm waffle pudding. But most of all Narwhal is excited about the arrival of the Merry Mermicorn! According to Narwhal, she's part mermaid, part unicorn and completely mer-aculous! Jelly is of course skeptical about the existence of the "Mira-Miny-What-A Corn" . . . even when he receives a mysterious present. It must be from Narwhal. Now Jelly has to get the perfect gift, but finding a present for someone as unique as Narwhal is no easy feat, even when you have six tentacles. How will Jelly ever come up with a whaley great gift for a best pal who spreads cheer all through the year?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780735262515
Publisher:	Tundra
Publication date:	09/08/2020
Series:	Narwhal and Jelly Series , #5
Pages:	76
Sales rank:	26,178
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	GN550L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

BEN CLANTON is the New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of the Narwhal and Jelly series, whose picture books include Mo's Mustache; Vote for Me!; Rot, the Cutest in the World!; Boo Who?; It Came in the Mail; Something Extraordinary and Rex Wrecks It!. He lives with his wife and kids in Seattle, Washington.

Editorial Reviews

09/21/2020

His tusk-tooth and scarf both sporting red and white stripes, holiday-loving Narwhal is “feeling festive” in the fifth installment of the graphic novel series starring two earnest aquatic pals. Despite Narwhal’s holiday enthusiasm, jellyfish Jelly has no interest in “the freezing season” and longs for warmer waters (“Humph-bug,” he grumps). Narwhal cheers up Jelly (“a bit”) with a bowl of warm waffle pudding, and a present with his name on it also boosts his spirits. But Jelly worries that he has nothing for Narwhal, who he assumes is the gift giver. Through spare mixed-media pictures and an energetic, wordplay-steeped narrative in six short sections, Clanton sorts out Jelly’s conundrum and introduces a special holiday visitor, the Merry Mermicorn, a mermaid-unicorn hybrid who, Narwhal says, is “completely mer-aculous!” “Cool facts” about marine life are sprinkled throughout this buoyant tale. Ages 6–9. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

2020-08-18
The holidays have come for Narwhal and his friends.

In this fifth installment of the Narwhal and Jelly series, the eponymous pals are looking forward to cold waters, songs, and the arrival of the Merry Mermicorn, a “part mermaid and part unicorn and completely mer-aculous” being who “spreads sheer cheer and pure awesomeness wherever she goes!” Narwhal and Jelly exchange gifts and enjoy undersea snows, all the while dropping their trademark facts about ocean life (this time taking a slant toward all things chilly). This slim volume houses six different vignettes, among them “The Perfect Present,” in which Jelly agonizes over finding Narwhal the right gift, and “The Mean Green Jelly Bean,” a story the friends write and illustrate about an unappealing sentient jelly bean who is flavored like “pickle-scum snail-slime puree.” Clanton’s art is instantly recognizable, with its simply wrought characters and cool blue palette punctuated with splashes of contrasting color. Full of “sheer cheer” itself and with an emphasis on kindness and friendship, this volume doesn’t miss a beat alongside its predecessors. Although it’s never explicitly stated, most young readers will discern that Narwhal’s holiday is a thinly veiled riff on Christmas traditions, with its central visiting figure who’s akin to Santa, Narwhal’s peppermint-stick–striped horn, and carols like “Jingle Shells” and “We Fish You a Merry Mermicorn.”

A holiday treat for fans. (Graphic fantasy. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews

A New York Times Bestseller!

PRAISE FOR Happy Narwhalidays:

“This volume doesn’t miss a beat alongside its predecessors . . . A holiday treat for fans.” —Kirkus Reviews

“ ‘Cool facts’ about marine life are sprinkled throughout this buoyant tale.” —Publishers Weekly

“Clanton’s expressively drawn characters, and an additional splash of holiday red in the blue, yellow, and gray palette, provide extra cheer.” —The Horn Book

From the Publisher