School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-This transportive wordless picture book debut from Argentinean author/illustrator Alonso taps into childhood imagination in a journey of discovery, experimentation, and letting go. A young girl visiting the nearby river is enchanted by an orange fish. With dreams of getting to be immersed in the world of fishes, she captures the fish and takes it home. There, using various jugs, glasses, bowls, and a small soaking pool, she builds an elaborate aquarium throughout her house. Finally she gets into her pool with the fish, only to realize that this is not a world that will work for the fish, and she makes the tough decision to return it to the river. Alonso's visual storytelling captures the desire of being in the natural world and how humans strive to bring it with us. Using digital, pencil, pen and a mixture of bold and pastel colors, she immerses readers into this child's world to share in her moments of contentment, joy, and worry. Alonso uses every aspect of the book to great effect. The book size, format, and similar use of line and space is reminiscent of author/illustrator Suzy Lee, and both excel at capturing universal child experiences and imaginations. VERDICT A captivating debut that children of all ages will want to soak in multiple times. A must-purchase for libraries; Alonso will be an artist to watch.-Danielle Jones, Multnomah County Library, OR © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Newcomer Alonso's wordless tale opens as a girl in a summer dress heads down a path to a nearby pond. The surrounding hills are drawn in simple lines, the grass stippled with pencil. The pond and its underwater world, by contrast, carry color and shadow, and teem with stylized, silkscreenlike plants and jumping fish. A tight close-up shows a plan taking shape inside the girl's head; she imagines swimming with a school of fish. One vermilion fish leaps out of the water, and the girl takes it home, using an array of containers and hoses to create an exciting, multivessel habitat. (It's the kind of elaborate, messy setup that parents might discourage; fortunately, no parents are around.) With the addition of an inflatable pool, the girl can splash with her fish. But when it leaps free, the girl realizes that it's unhappy. Often, in stories like this, a parent persuades the child that wild creatures are happier where they belong. Alonso's heroine realizes this on her own, and readers watch as she sets aside her happiness for the sake of a smaller creature. It's a polished, thought-provoking debut. Ages 3-5. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
