Book review
“Not Quite Narwhal” is an off-the-charts-adorable fantasy about the journey of a narwhal, named Kelp, discovering his true self. This story exemplifies the genre of fantasy from the very first page. Kelp is a unicorn who was born in the sea and has narwhal friends. His baby picture shows him with a deep sea diving mask and a little unicorn sleeper, snuggled softly in a clam shell. This mythical creature grows up among actual sea creatures, the narwhals. Any realism, however, ends as we see them have picnics together and the narwhals help him with his swimming. When he discovers other unicorns on land, Kelp learns how the act like a “real” unicorn when they teach him to shoot rainbows from his horn, eat rainbow snow-cones, and gallop around. While his struggle to know his true self is reminiscent of many realistic fiction tales, the fact that he is wavering between being a “land narwhal” or “sea unicorn” brings us back to the world of fantasy. The final picture is a delightful collage of rainbows and happiness that will bring joy to your class.
“Not Quite Narwhal” can be used in your classroom to teach predictions using several key points throughout the story. Students could also make a text to text connection with a classic fairytale, “The Little Mermaid”, comparing and contrasting the story elements. They could use a venn diagram to organize their ideas and discuss their findings.
Possible extensions of this book could be in science with an investigation into narwhals. There is also a strong character development lesson within this mythical world of Kelp and his friends. This book is appropriate for all ages, as it preaches themes of acceptance from friends and being honest with oneself. Young children who love unicorns all the way up to preteens struggling with their sexuality might find just the right message, just the right “mirror” for themselves in this text. It’s a keeper!
- Goodreads rating – 4.47
- REVIEW – Heidi Guth