By: Chris Gall Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Little, Brown Young Readers Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 36 Publication Date: May 10, 2006 Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Product Description: DESCRIPTION: Dear Fish, Where you live is pretty cool. You should come visit us sometime. Plus, my mom makes good pies. Sincerely, Peter Alan What happens when the creatures of the sea take Peter Alan up on his offer? Something fishy, of course! Watch out for a bucking bull shark at the rodeo, the invasion of a slimy school of fish, and other playful pictorial puns hidden within the illustrations. Endpapers identify more than 30 species of fish that appear in the book!This is a fantastic flight of fancy that every child will savor!
Dear Fish peaks curiousity and intererst in young children Chris Gall has written and illustrated this picture book in the greatest of tradition. The story is a classic of the child who invites the fishes of the sea to come home with him and the manner in which this idea plays out is both silly and uses word play to excite children's understanding about how words and ideas interconnect, confuse, and have multiple meanings. I read this book to my Kindergarten class and they could not contain their excitement. They just loved this book and asked immediately for a re-read. For new readers, the colorful writing and display of words in different hues and sizes itself adds to the effect. The illustrations are just beautiful. A must for any book shelf, buy this book today if you have children ages 3-10.
A Tale of Two Species Usually I can tell that I'm reading an exceptional book within the first 2-3 pages; in fact, sometimes just the cover will suggest that the illustrator and story are extaordinarily good, and that the reader is in for a treat.
Such is the case with award-winning illustrator Chris Gall's book, "Dear Fish." HIs style recalls several threads in American illustration: The bold graphics of 1940-50's advertising, the homey, small-town appeal of Norman Rockwell, the bizarrely vivid colors and exaggerated images of comic books. Gall's illustrations make this book, and he places them within a wacky but just-reasonable-enough story that one very gladly suspends disbelief. HIs pretext is that young Peter Alan, beguiled by the sea and its residents, throws a message in a bottle into the ocean:
"Dear Fish, Where you live is pretty cool. You should come visit us someday. Plus my Mom makes good pies. Sincerely, Peter Alan".
Apparently, Peter knows the hearts and mind of fish, because they take him up on his offer, slowly at first, and then with increasing rapidity. A solitary fish glopinto Peter's bathroom, interrupting the sound of his tooth-brushing with "dripping and a flipping, a flopping and a gugling." NOt long after, catfish are "gnawing and burping" on Mr. Adam's lawn, the tentacles of jelly fish grab at jars of peanut butter (this must be one of the 10 "puns" that Galls mentions), and little Sally finds herself blowing up a blowfish instead of a balloon.
At a nearby ballpark, the fish insinuate themselves into hot dog buns and popcorn bags, and even Casey McGraw's bat looks suspiciously like a barracuda. At the rodeo, Cole Trenton ("the roughest, toughest, stinkiest cowboy that ever rode a steer) is bucked two counties away by a bucking....shark!
This immensely enjoyable work succeeds on both the narrative and visual dimentsion. Gall's allusions to "Casey at the Bat," Tug McGraw, and traditional children's book descriptions of cowboy illustrate his keen observation and appreciation of American history and folklore. He borrows some of the most popular icons of popular culture and affectionately explodes them with his fish tale. There are some stunning two-page spreads as well, including a hot air balloon lifted by a floating whale, and a school full of (a school of) big orange "big-eyes." (I know that's their name only because Gall nicely labels pictures of his fish on the endpapers.
As you might expecrt, this invasion "is a little more than Peter Alan expected." He writes another letter, politing stating that "you are nice, but you are fish." "Plus," he writes, "I think I hear your mothers calling." After much cleaning, and promises by Peter that he won't throw a fish non-fry again, he's allowed back at the beach, where he finds a letter from the fish to the "Humans." In a wonderful and swift surprise conclusion, we see Peter and his family driving a woody hitched to a 1950's trailor. (Perhaps the fish will resort to a letter similar to the one Peter wrote: You are nice, but you are humans.)
Full of humor, wit, and spectacular illustrations, this is an inventive and highly original work that kids and adults will enjoy. The density of the illustrations and the quirky situations will ensure repeated readings, and a spot on the bookshelf reserved for favorites. For 2008, the first book in my annual list of the top 20 kids' books I've read each year.
How I became a Pirate I bought this book for my 5 year old grandson who just loves pirates and thought this book the "greatest". The illustrations are great and the text is fun!
A Caldecott Contender I bought this book because my 3 year old nephew loves fish and spends a lot of time at the ocean. When it arrived I was amazed at the quality of the illustrations which most certainly could put this book up for a Caldecott Medal this year. Happily, my nephew was as enthralled with the pictures and the sweet story as I was. This is a book he'll enjoy for many years to come as will anyone who reads it to him. For the pictures alone, a new classic that belongs on every child who loves the beach's shelf.
Magical! This book was spectacular from cover to cover! The illustrations are so rich and detailed, that it would be an ideal storytime read. Gall's narration is complex and elegant, and the pace is fast without being too fast. I review quiet a few picture books each month (60+), and very very few manage to have that illusive magical quality that we all remember from our favorite children's books. This book deserves to be a new children's classic, heartily recommended!
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