Little Clam

What? Seriously, what? The back inside flap says "Children, like little clams, at times confront trials and tribulations that they have to manage themselves-- at least until the tide comes in. Even a peaceful little clam must cope with bullies; and even a little clam, using its own resources and a few martial arts, can be a hero." That makes about as much sense as this book.

So there's a clam, and it kind of talks about the parts of a clam in a biological sense. It just basically talks about how a clam deals with the tide going in and out without moving too far. But then one day, the tide tells him, "I'm going out!" But instead of digging under the sand, the clam fools around. Other random mollusks tell him that things are going to eat him, but he's busy sifting sand and stuff. Then the crab and scallop are like, "Hey! You're about to get eaten!" And he says, "Oh. Thank you for telling me." He squirts a gull in the face, kicks a conch, and pinches a sea star with his shell. Those three animals get washed away because the tide suddenly comes back in.

It's kind of framed with a mother playing a "clam game" with her little boy, but it's just weird. It's a metaphor that doesn't make any sense at all. Basically, the clam is in trouble, doesn't listen to anybody else, and then suddenly develops supernatural powers to get himself out of the situation. If that's not a deus ex machina, I don't know what is. But everybody's okay! Nobody dies!