In this bewitching picture book debut from bestselling fantasy author Katherine Arden, a girl wins an odd-looking goldfish at a county fair that ends up being secretly magical.
When Daisy wins a funny-looking goldfish at a fair, she ignores the mean comments about its appearance. She doesn't mind the dull scales and lumpy head—in fact, she thinks her goldfish is the prettiest thing in the world. However, as Daisy continues caring for the goldfish, something strange starts happening to it . . .
With lyrical writing and stunning illustrations, this enchanting story about a girl and her goldfish reveals—with a touch of magic— the transformative power of unconditional love and care.
Title : The Strangest Fish
Author : Katherine Arden & Zahra Marwan
Format : hardback
Page Count : 40
Genre : picture book / middle grade
Publisher : Astra Young Readers
Release Date : September 3, 2024
Reviewer : Hollis
Rating : ★ ★ ★
Hollis' 3 star review
It's strange to be less excited about the aspect that drew me to this in the first place but here we are. Because the art and illustrations by Marwan, a new-to-me creative? Stunning. Gorgeous. Water colour-y and abstract and vibrant and fun. Five stars. Whereas the story by Arden, one of my favourite authors? I mean..
Listen, it's a kids book. I'm not expecting a masterpiece here. The story is fairly simple, with a matching prose, however my main issue was the ending and I know I'm only just venturing back into this age range for content but you can absolutely give a picture book a satisfying ending! And this just didn't quite have it. Also, the font really bugged me? It felt very out of place with the art. That's not an Arden issue, to be fair, but it pairs with the storytelling so here we are.
If you want something magical to marvel at as you read a story (likely over and over and over again) with a little bit of a magic that unfolds before you, I would absolutely recommend this for the picture book lovers in your life. I would genuinely put some of these pages on my walls. And there is a sweet message in the telling, too, which isn't dumbed down or force-fed in a way that would get tiring for the reader. I maybe just (possibly wrongly, given I am not the target audience!) expected a bit more from it. But the true test will be what my nieces think when I take it to them; it's their review that really counts.
** I received a finished copy from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
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