Iced Out

Wilbur, a walrus, and Neville, a narwhal, are the only non-seals at Miss Blubber’s School for Arctic Mammals. No one wants to sit next to them, pick them for sports, or invite them to parties, and they don’t even like each other. “Mornings were tough,” writes Smouha (Sock Story), getting right to the heart of her protagonists’ dread. When Betty Beluga arrives in the class, though, the two are smitten: she’s immediately popular, as well as appealingly aloof and happy to be on her own. A misstep results in a game of hide-and-seek, and after “a certain misunderstanding” is resolved (“I don’t want a boyfriend, thank you very much,” Betty tells them), the three quickly become best buddies. And in a sly but unmissable note of social triumph, “They even got invited to parties. And sometimes, if they had nothing better to do, they would go.” Though the plot is familiar—two misfits blossoming thanks to a charismatic newcomer—the characters’ arc toward friendship and self-acceptance is refreshing, and the watercolor pictures by Bunnell (Disappearing Acts), which combine a sketchbook intimacy with the textural warmth and color pop of old school lithography, pair well with the low-key narration. Ages 3–8. [em](Nov.) [/em]