It Could Be Worse

Could it get any worse? Two shipwrecked sailors have different views of an absurd series of dilemmas in a wry, visually lavish tale for pessimists and optimists alike.

As a pair of shipwrecked sailors float on what’s left of their ship, Albertini is none too happy. The rain, he observes, is unfair enough. Then the flying fish appear overhead—the ones with the sick stomachs. And the singing mermaids, leaving infernal earworms in their wake. There’s the ghost ship full of pirates and the ark teeming with ravenous beasts. But no matter how bad the situation seems, George, cheerfully playing his harmonica, reminds his friend it could always be worse. Ahhhh! But hang on . . . is that a giant whale with an overpowering case of tuna breath? Delightfully detailed illustrations add visual comedy to a meditation on tough times that shows that even the worst days can turn around—especially with friends.Two shipwrecked sailors hold different viewpoints about their situation.
—Kirkus Reviews

Pursued by ghost pirates and chased into the sea, these two adventurers finally find a way to coexist in this bubbly, bumbly, color-washed, giggle-inducing story about surviving disaster with your sanity intact.
—Foreword Reviews (starred review)

Two shipwrecked sailors confront preposterous woes with varying degrees of optimism in Einat Tsarfati's delightfully farcical picture book It Could Be Worse. . . . Intricate digital illustrations in candy-colored hues include impressively detailed nautical pastedowns and lend a cheerful air to the daytime travails, while velvety blues dominate the climactic nighttime scenes. . . . Optimists and alarmists both will relate to this entertaining adventure as George and Albertini navigate laughably bad situations before finding safe harbor.
—Shelf AwarenessEinat Tsarfati is an Israeli author and illustrator, most recently Sandcastle and The Neighbors. She graduated with honors from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. Einat Tsarfati lives in Israel.