Glad to Meet You! Hi! My Name is... How Adorabilis Got His Name by Marisa Polansky

Early one morning, when all the fish were tucked away, a new creature arrived in the deep-sea tank.

He was very tiny, with great big eyes and eight little tentacles.

As all the denizens of the deep awake, they discover their new resident. They've never seen anything like him. Filled with curiosity they gather around. Yeti Crab is first to welcome their new neighbor, and Anglerfish turns on her light to get a better look.

"I wonder what they will call you?" she inquired.

Call me?" the creature answered.

"Everyone has a name here!" said Mimic Octopus.

To demonstrate how she got her name, she shows off changing shapes to look like other creatures A big-headed fish smiled with a mouthful of sharp teeth to show why he is named Fangtooth. Six-Gill Shark shows off his six gills.

The little creature is crestfallen. He can't compare with the others. He doesn't have big orange stripes like Clown Fish, and he can't glow in the deeps like the Moon Jellyfish, and he surely can't compete with Giant Squid's size. Then he remembers something he CAN do.

"I'm an excellent parachute!"

He demonstrates how he can spread his little tentacles and float slowly down to the bottom of the tank. Still, "Parachuter" doesn't quite have the ring of the proper name the others are looking for.

Then a couple of scientists stroll by and one greets the new acquisition.

"How are you doing, Adorabilis?"

Of course! He is adorable, and Adorabilis is his new name, in Marisa Polansky's Hello, My Name Is . . .: How Adorabilis Got His Name (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2018). Polansky's lighthearted look at aquarium tank wildlife introduces youngsters to the looks and behaviors of some of the diverse and curious creatures to be seen on a field trip, and this peachy pink little octopus is cute enough to live up to his scientific name of Opisthotautis adorabilis. Author Polansky offers a brief appendix in the form of a scientific note which gives further facts about this lovable-looking sea creature, and artist Joey Chou renders all the deep-sea specimens with enough realism to make them recognizable but with charm and personality that will make them memorable to young students. As Booklist puns, "Little ones will eagerly dive into this all-around adorable first glimpse at ocean fauna.”