Fish Jam

Australian author-artist Howarth debuts with a bouncy, jazz-inspired story about a fish that doesn’t fit in. Jazz speaks in scat (“Scooba-dooba-diddly-dooo”), and he even looks like a one-fish band: his squared-off tail and wood-grain-textured body evoke a guitar, while his mouth and dorsal fin suggest the bell and valves of a trumpet. But wherever Jazz goes, his freeform singing earns him shushes from seals, penguins, lobsters, and more. Howarth’s digital illustrations are scribbled and splattered with textures that echo Jazz’s penchant for improvisation, and she puts a strong emphasis on sound effects throughout. Light narration (“Until one day... Something unexpected happened”) moves the story along amid Jazz’s beeps, bops, and occasional screams (as when his singing attracts the ire of three orcas). After a great deal of shunning, Jazz eventually finds some like-minded sea-dwellers to jam with. The catch? They’re all stuck in the belly of a whale—one that also appears to have swallowed a piano, upright bass, and drum kit, a foldout page reveals. It’s up to readers to decide whether this counts as a happy ending. Ages 4–7. (May)