In THE ONLY FISH IN THE SEA by Philip C. Stead and illustrated
by Matthew Cordell, Amy Scott gets a goldfish for her birthday and announces to
everyone that “goldfish are boring!” She
marches to the dock and drops the fish into the sea. Sherman worries about the
fish being all alone and floating away. Sadie is apprehensive about the dangers
that lie ahead in open waters.
Sadie names the fish Ellsworth and with Sherman's help, she plans to rescue the fish. They secure a boat, fishing gear, balloons, a bucket
of paint, headwear and with a crew of monkeys, set sail. They encounter rough
waters and sea creatures. They wait patiently and find Ellsworth drifting in
troubled waters. They bring Ellsworth home and give him a nice place to live, and
friends who will feed him and keep him company. But Amy Scott will not be as
lucky.
Everyone will delight in the pen and ink illustrations of the
monkeys and their antics. Readers will enjoy following the monkeys through the story as much as they'll root for the other characters.
I particularly like that Sadie names the fish, Ellsworth, it
humanizes the fish, it has value and should be saved. Sherman and Sadie empathizing and showing
concern for the fish is powerful. Later,
Sherman sees Amy and says hi to her, even though she threw away the fish, he
acknowledges her, and asks about her in the closing scene.
The take-away is about bullying and knowing that that you
can count on your friends to help you.

The next day, Duck and Goose dress as a scary ghost and a
brave superhero, respectively. During trick-or-treating, a friendly daisy tells Duck and Goose a swamp
monster is looking for them. When they see the monster, they run and hide in
fear, but the swamp monster finds them. Together, Duck and Goose are scary and brave
and save themselves. After discovering who the swamp monster is, all three
continue trick-or-treating. In the closing scene, Duck and Goose share their
candy and tell Halloween stories about a superhero, a ghost and a swamp
monster.
Children and adults will enjoy the lively illustrations, the
amusing banter between Duck and Goose and how they solve their problem.
In this story, we learn that on Halloween we can be whatever
we want to be or wish we were.
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