Happy Narwhalidays
Ben Clanton
Farshore

It’s holiday time in this, the fifth instalment in the series starring the delightful duo, Narwhal and Jelly as they consume warm waffles, do some singing while swimming and eagerly anticipate the coming of the Merry Mermicorn. In case like Jelly you’re wondering what that might be here’s Narwhal’s description of her …

We meet the friends in several scenarios including The Perfect Present wherein Jelly makes a discovery and then spends ages racking his brain over the perfect present for Narwhal.

Then comes The Mean Green Jelly Bean, a story the friends co-write and illustrate about a unappealing sentient jelly bean. This sour being is, in its own words, flavoured like ‘pickle-scum snail-slime puree’ and unsurprisingly not to every one’s taste, but is it to anyone’s?

As per usual in this funky series, sandwiched between the events are some facts on ocean life – in this instance of the particularly ‘cool’ kind; and underlining the kindness theme, the book ends with a rendition of The Merry Mermicorn Song. (the friends’ version of ‘We wish you a merry Christmas’)

Perfect for new solo readers at this time of year are these delectably daft seasonal diversions of Clanton’s underwater pals, one ever the optimist, the other, decidedly not.