Just Be Jelly

by Maddie Frost

Overview

A groovy jellyfish helps a scared-of-everything sardine learn to take its problems in stride in this humorous picture book about wiggling your worries away.
 
When a sardine who's scared of everything loses its handbook for staying safe in the sea, it goes into total panic mode. But right as big, scary shadows are surrounding it, the sardine runs into a jellyfish preaching the wisdom of wiggling your worries away. Try it! Wiggle up...wiggle down ...wiggle all around! When you're done, your problems might not seem so enormous—and those scary shadows might turn out to be friends!
 
From the creator of Smug Seagull comes a funny, feel-good story about facing your fears (with the help of a few awesome dance moves).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316523288
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	06/22/2021
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	627,386
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 10.30(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Maddie Frost is the author and illustrator of Once Upon a Zzzz, Wakey Birds, and Smug Seagull, as well as the illustrator of The Littlest Things Give the Loveliest Hugs, among other books. She grew up in Massachusetts and attended the Massachusetts College of Art and Design for animation. Maddie lives outside of Boston, and she invites you to visit her online at Maddie-Frost.com.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Just Be Jelly:

"A variety of digital, mixed-media sea creatures with comical facial expressions enliven the ocean scenes.... [The book] has a breezy drollery about finding inner peace and going with the flow—perhaps everyone could use a little jelly."—School Library Journal

"The luminous, mixed-media illustrations in saturated full color and an inviting cartoon style are filled with crowded sea life and comic details. Hilarious, with an underlying lesson that staying in the moment and being brave can help you if you’re beset by a panic attack."—Booklist

Praise for Smug Seagull:"Swipe this one off the shelf for a belly-laugh-inducing beach read."—Kirkus Reviews

"Full of comedic antics.... This is a quick summertime romp for future fans of Dav Pilkey."—BCCB

"[A] laugh-along picture book.... Bright and filled with movement."—Booklist

"An enjoyable, comical tale."—School Library Journal

"Fans of Piggie and Elephant will love this book. Bad Guy vs Misunderstood Guy told in a mischievous way. You will laugh and be appalled. Any parent will flash back to days on the beach chasing a seagull and their sandwich."—Suzanne Lucey, Page 158 Books (Wake Forest, NC)

"This animated seagull made me laugh out loud! He's the king of the beach, and no one swipes snacks as well as he does. Everything's sunny for him until...a crab swipes his snack back! And he seems to have stolen the seagull's swiping skills! There's a lot this bird can learn from a crab, including some manners. This is the kind of book to read with a silly voice and sound effects. I hope you love this smug seagull as much as I do!"—Andrew King, University Bookstore (Seattle, WA)

"Really funny — will be great for kiddos who like fun read alouds."—Lauren Nopenz Fairley, Curious Iguana (Frederick, MD)

From the Publisher

08/01/2021

PreS-K—An uptight, rule-following sardine learns to relax from a tranquil jellyfish. There are 19,000 safety rules for sardines: Never slow down; never talk to predators; always stick together. A particularly anxious sardine panics after being separated from the group. While searching for a place to hide, the sardine smacks into a serene jellyfish. "Your nervous swishy-swishy is crushing my zone of zen," reports the jellyfish, instructing the sardine how to relax and "just be jelly." But can "jelly vibes" save the sardine from hungry predators? A variety of digital, mixed-media sea creatures with comical facial expressions enliven the ocean scenes. The frantic movements of the sardine are nicely contrasted with the fluid, laid-back motions of the jellyfish. The dialogue text reads well with the illustrations and keeps the story moving swiftly. However, preschoolers may lose the finer points of the narrative in the comic-book paneled structure. Additionally, in typical comics style, dialogue is assigned by proximity within the illustration without textual context, making it difficult for a non-reading audience to distinguish who is speaking. VERDICT Though this is an optional purchase, it has a breezy drollery about finding inner peace and going with the flow—perhaps everyone could use a little jelly.—Richelle Rose, Kenton County P.L., KY

School Library Journal