PARROTFISH HAS A SUPERPOWER

What makes the parrotfish so special?

The creators of Stinkbird Has a Superpower (2023) have produced another informative, funny, and engaging tale centered on a bizarre animal fact. Boastful Parrotfish really wants to tell a hammerhead shark about its superpower, but the shark keeps interrupting. Parrotfish builds suspense by revealing other fun facts: Some parrotfish sleep in a mucus sac; they have about 1,000 hard teeth, which resemble a beak; they eat algae and polyps; and they have even more teeth in their throats! As amazing as these facts are, however, they aren’t the parrotfish’s superpower. Finally, our hero points out a sandy shore and says, “Guess who made that beach? Me!” The shark is skeptical (“You’re saying you eat coral, then poop it out as white sand…Which washes ashore….And becomes that beach?”), surprised, and finally impressed—and, as he demonstrates that he has a useful ability of his own, a friendship is born. As in Stinkbird, Shea’s colorful cartoon illustrations add greatly to the humor. Dramatic expressions and body language convey emotion, and the backgrounds provide a reasonable sense of the animals’ habitat. Parrotfish is bright eyed and vibrantly colored; the shark shows off sharp teeth. Color-coded speech bubbles convey the characters’ conversation, making it easy to identify who’s saying what. The lively presentation and ick factor make this a winner. The beach scene depicts racially diverse humans.

A strikingly original look at a most unusual marine creature.