Plenty of Fish!

If you haven't heard of Vintage Kid's Books My Kid Loves yet, you need to get yourself right over there and check out some of the marvelous books she reviews...and not just because she does a giveaway every Monday. In the not to distant past, I was the fortunate winner of one of her Great Monday Gives and what a fun win it was. (And not just because it's fun to win in general.)

Plenty of Fish is a sweet story about a little boys' quest to own a fish and learning about their eating, breathing and living habits along the way. I really like this "science reader" because it's so different from the fact-based science readers that you can find at bookstores today. Through experiential learning, the boy discovers many facts about his beloved fish rather than reading a textbook of information.

The boy tries living like a fish for a while too by eating fish food, eating only once a day and breathing by opening and closing his mouth. His discoveries that humans have different needs from fish are often humorous.

The simplicity of the illustrations with charcoal, orange-red and green accents is simple with a great vintage appeal. The early 60s outfits of bathrobes, top hats and pipe are nostalgically sweet as well.

By the end of the reader, the boy has many grand plans of fish-capades to come, and you might find yourself at a nearby shop hunting down a little fish and bowl as well.