“One day when Narwhal was out for a swim, he found himself in new waters.” – opening line of Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton
My husband loves videos of bad Family Feud answers. If he seems stressed or sad I just have to casually hop on YouTube and pull up a compilation video of some of the worst answers. I even have a video on my phone of him falling off of the couch because he was laughing so hard while watching one particularly bad answer!
It’s nice to have something that is guaranteed to make him belly laugh.
My son also has something that is guaranteed to make him belly laugh: Narwhal and Jelly books. These graphic novels just tickle his funny bone, big time!
I have to admit that I find them pretty funny, too.
Check out the video review to find out what I liked and didn’t like about the books, what ages it would be good for, and anything questionable that you need to know about before picking this series up.
You can scroll past the video for the book details. If you don’t watch the video, make sure to read the Special Considerations section so that you aren’t blindsided by something in the book that might be a touchy subject for some people. (Honestly, though, the video review is much more comprehensive, and it’s only a few minutes long.)
Title: Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea
Author and Illustrator: Ben Clanton
Series: Narwhal and Jelly, Book 1
Details: Tundra Books, 2016
Number of Pages: 64 pages
Number of Chapters: 5 chapters
Average Chapter Length: highly variable; longest chapter is 21 pages, shortest chapter is 3 pages
Picture Frequency: graphic novel
Title: Super Narwhal and Jelly Jolt
Author and Illustrator: Ben Clanton
Series: Narwhal and Jelly, Book 2
Details: Tundra Books, 2017
Number of Pages: 64 pages
Number of Chapters: 5 chapters
Average Chapter Length: highly variable; longest chapter is 21 pages, shortest chapter is 2 pages
Picture Frequency: graphic novel
Title: Peanut Butter and Jelly
Author and Illustrator: Ben Clanton
Series: Narwhal and Jelly, Book 3
Details: Tundra Books, 2018
Number of Pages: 64 pages
Number of Chapters: 5 chapters
Average Chapter Length: highly variable; longest chapter is 26 pages, shortest chapter is 2 pages
Picture Frequency: graphic novel
Special Considerations: Not a one! Even the bad guys become good and happy after a joyful dance party!
My Thoughts: I loved this series! My son REALLY loved this series! There isn’t a ton of plot, really, but the characters are what make the books worth reading.
I would suggest it for ages 3 years old and up. Even though the story is told with lots of pictures, the pictures are mostly of the main characters talking. This can be a little harder to follow for very young kids. You might even find that it is too difficult for your 3 year old to follow along with the story. Don’t get discouraged if that is the case – just try again in a few years.
Since it is a graphic novel, you need to be prepared to use your finger to follow along and show your kids what square you are on on the page.
I give this series 5 out of 5 ears, meaning I think the Narwhal and Jelly books should be on your bookshelf at home.
My little guy asks to check them out every time we are at the library. Don’t tell, but we’re buying him the series for Christmas!
