FISH BY FISH

How can little fish avoid being eaten by bigger fish?

The opening double-page spread shows a pretty underwater scene rendered using what appears to be watercolor resist technique. On the verso, a large, round fish stares at a tiny clown fish on the recto and comments “Oh, look! That’s a perfect little snack for me.” The big fish looks friendly and the little one’s face lacks affect, so adults reading the book aloud to children will have to decide how sinister of a tone to adopt. A graduated series of die-cut holes in the center of each double spread means that each page turn adds layer upon layer to the visual narrative. As the story progresses, increasingly larger, open-mouthed fish appear, poised to eat the one before across the gutter, while the tiny, still expressionless clown fish hovers between them. After the opening sentence, the text takes the form of a simple refrain with a new adjective substituted on each page: “Oh no…that’s a huge fish!” and “oh no…that’s a gigantic fish!” and so on. The penultimate spread, showing a band of small clown fish coming to the aid of their beleaguered buddy, imitates a visual metaphor frequently used on grassroots-organizing posters to express the idea of unity in strength. The concluding text appropriately reinforces the message. The colorful, alluring artwork somewhat undermines the narrative by endowing each large fish with beauty and personality—despite the menacing eyes—while the tiny clown fish shows no emotion until the final page. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Subtly packaged anti-bullying and group empowerment for small fry.