Common Sense Media Review
By Stephanie Snyder
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Lively series about undersea friends best for newer readers.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
The Narwhal and Jelly series follows the friendship of the title characters as they realize what they are capable of through their differences. Each book is divided into chapters that read like short stories. In the first chapter, they typically disagree on an issue -- whether or not the other character is actually real, whether or not Narwhal can be a superhero, whether or not a peanut butter cookie can actually taste like something else, etc. The second chapter of each book gives facts about narwhals, jelly fish, and other sea creatures. The remaining stories connect back to the first story in topic or theme as Narwhal and Jelly work together to solve problems, save the day, or create something new.
Is It Any Good?
Young readers will surely get a kick out of this comical, fanciful series. Narwhal and Jelly is a home run for the kids in the 5-7 crowd who are ready for more than picture books, but perhaps not ready to fully take on chapter books. The graphic novel style and simplistic illustrations make it easy to digest. The same is true of the series' consistent branding: most pages of each book use the same blue-yellow-white color scheme and recognizable all-caps font. The characters are silly in demeanor and action, creating a light and easy read for kids. Grown-ups, however, shouldn't expect too much in the way of depth; each book follows a consistent formula and with slight variations in plot.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about teamwork in the Narwhal and Jelly series. How did Narwhal and Jelly work together in this book? How did they learn to agree? What was the outcome of their teamwork?
How are Narwhal and Jelly similar? How are they different? Which character do you think you're more like? Why?
Which Narwhal and Jelly adventure is your favorite? Why?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Graphic Novel
- Topics : Adventures , Friendship , Animals ( Ocean Creatures )
- Character Strengths : Communication , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Tundra Books
- Publication date : October 4, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 6 - 9
- Number of pages : 64
- Available on : Paperback, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate