The Top 10 Everything of 2008

7. The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen, pictures by Dan Hanna

Younger kids will love the repetition of the verses in this tale of a pout-pout fish who spreads his "dreary-wearies" and is an absolute buzz-kill wherever he swims. The richly colored turquoise, coral and violet ocean dwellers from the "slender squiggly" squid to the clam with the "pearl of advice" all encourage the moper to lighten up, but he feels it's his fate to be blue. How timely for pout-pout to learn this message: Change is possible! From yonder comes a babilicous swimmer who "in a silent silver shimmer" plants a wet one right on pout-pout's snout, turning "his dreary-wearies" into "cheery-cheeries" just like that. Whoever said a kiss is just a kiss?

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