Dear Fish
Grade 1-4 While visiting the beach with his family, Peter Alan unwittingly causes chaos when he tosses a bottled message into the sea inviting the fish to visit him. Soon after, a variety of underwater creatures begins showing up in Peter's hometown, and marine mayhem ensues from the school to the beauty parlor and beyond. It is only when the boy writes a second note explaining to the fish that they need to return home that the townsfolk can begin to recover from these unexpected guests. The text has a rich vocabulary, and teachers looking for a read-aloud that ties in with a lesson on action words will find this story a gold mine since it is chock-full of examples. Boldly colored illustrations combine clay-engraved art with digital effects to give the pages a three-dimensional look. Readers who enjoy poring over pictures that are layered with meaning on both the literal and figurative levels will find much to explore here. Gall has included 10 puns in his artwork. Some readers will quickly recognize the most obvious peanut butter and jellyfish, and the tool-related pun involving a sawfish and hammerhead shark. The others, however, will require a bit more study. Reminiscent of the fantastical work of David Wiesner and Chris Van Allsburg, Gall's art will hook more than a few readers.Maura Bresnahan, High Plain Elementary School, Andover, MACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.