Book Reviews for You Wish Jellyfish! by Sue Whiting

Jellyfish is sick of being pushed around by the tide, ‘of being tugged this way, and pushed that way.’ His parents warn him about missing out on the Journey, but Jellyfish doesn’t care, he just wants to stop moving. When he meets Mussel, who can’t move from his rock, everything changes. This is the first picture book from Australian author Sue Whiting (The Firefighters, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy) and Australian illustrator Lee Krutop, and they make a good team. Krutop has created a wonderfully vibrant underwater world. The illustrations are expressive and full of movement, with little Jellyfish looking thoroughly miserable about being tossed around in the current while other jellyfish are enjoying the ride, and the colourful sea creatures vary enough to make each page unique, but still retain a pleasing level of familiarity. The wording is playful yet evocative, particularly when Jellyfish describes to Mussel how ‘sometimes the current took him where the sea washed warm and milky green over a garden of twisty coral,’ and works best read aloud, with the refrain of ‘You wish, Jellyfish!’ sure to be a hit with the little ones. This is a gorgeous underwater road trip for ages two and up about accepting who you are and looking at life from a different perspective.

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