Captain Starfish

K-Gr 2—Bell and Colpoys convey the turmoil of an introvert maneuvering the social expectations of school. Alfie's public anxiety has caused him to miss a dinosaur party and running races, and he's really dreading dressing up as a starfish for the Underwater Dress-Up Parade. Following his subaquatic nightmares, Mom calmly allows Alfie to skip the parade and instead takes him to the aquarium where he is charmed by a brief encounter with a shy clown fish. On the way home in a bus populated by imaginary ocean creatures, Mom acknowledges that some people are like clown fish and need to hide away, "It's just what they do." Alfie commiserates yet fulfills his pledge to participate in the parade the following year and dresses as a clown fish. Colpoys's retro drawings are colored in neon peach and cobalt blue, with sea-foam green accents.