Serafina Makes Waves

Serafina, the gray feline star of this picture book series starter from Burgess (Fireworks) and Rosenthal (Sweet Babe!), makes it clear from the jump that she “hates/ loathes/ DESPISES/ WATER.” She’s an outlier in her family: in addition to staying in on rainy days, Serafina drinks water from a ladder-height loop straw, rejects baths, and refuses to participate in a beach vacation. When her exasperated parents attempt to drag her to swimming lessons, she unleashes a full repertoire of avoidance tactics. But when Serafina’s rabbit stuffy Noodles is inadvertently pushed into the drink, the puss jumps in without thinking, and after the initial shock subsides, experiences “an intriguing floaty feeling” and a full transformation to veritable cat-fish. An abundance of comically arch turns of phrase (“Serafina finds herself dangerously close to a disgusting pit of seething water”) and pastel-toned digital images make this a buoyant initial outing. Alongside sweetly goofy characters engaging in sly anthropomorphic comedy, readers should be eager to take the next plunge. Ages 3–7. (Mar.)