Sometimes it is wise to leave well enough alone. Like when
you are the protagonist in a thriller and you finally escape that inescapable
maze, but you decide to go back and find out what made that funny sound. The
audience is screaming, “let it go”, but you don’t.
Plankton in Plankton
Is Pushy, a picture book written and illustrated by Johnathan Fenske, is in
a similar situation. He is a social kind of plankton. He believes in the rules
of polite conversation. So when he bumps into Mussel, who refuses to follow
said rules, he is a bit perturbed. Plankton explains to Mussel that Mussel is
being rude. He tries to model the polite way of answering when someone says
hello to you. He tries explaining s-l-o-w-l-y, but Mussel just won’t budge.
Personally, I think the look in Mussel’s eye should have
warned Plankton to leave well enough alone. Plankton, however, is one of those
fearless types who sets a goal and just doesn’t quit until he achieves it, no
matter what the cost.
