Olien, Jessica. The Blobfish Book. illus. by Jessica Olien. 40p. websites. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray. May 2016. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780062394156. 
PreS-Gr 2 –A misunderstood deep-sea dweller gets its moment in the sun in this tongue-in-cheek informational picture book. The bubble-gum pink blobfish is sketched onto the pages of a nonfiction work that presents facts about and photos of the fascinating creatures that live miles beneath the ocean surface. Snappy dialogue balloons and humorously exaggerated cartoon features convey the impatient critter’s mental “fin-twiddling” as it waits to hear about its own species. When the big moment arrives, delight turns to dismay as the protagonist discovers that “the blobfish was once voted the world’s ugliest animal.” Tears and self-doubt ensue. However, it doesn’t take long for the other deep-water denizens—now embellished with expressive cartoon eyes and speech balloons of their own—to chime in with a bit of empathy and a crayoned letter of support. Additional facts about the featured animals and their environment, along with a list of web resources, are appended. VERDICT Olien pulls off the humor and the positive friendship message without a hitch, while also whetting the appetites of young readers to find out more about Earth’s most mysterious frontier. A first purchase. School Library Journal
This review was published in the School Library Journal May 2016 issue.