Something's Fishy by Kevin McCloskey, 40 pp, RL 2
Something's Fishy by Kevin McCloskey is his third non-fiction comic for for TOON Books and it is as fantastic as the first two! While his books are written for emerging readers, the language is rich and the text is filled with fascinating details and I learn something new every time I read one of McCloskey's books!
From worms to pigeons and snails, the focus of McCloskey's books have held an interest for me. Fish, however, don't really. But, McCloskey is a master at making things interesting and I found myself engaged and engrossed from page one. Did you know that, like the rings of a tree, the scales of a fish can tell you how old it is? I didn't! As the kids in Something's Fishy (McCloskey populates his books about animals with curious kids who share and learn with each page turn) share details about fish, a trio of animals (a dog, a cat and an emerald green parrot) add information. One of the themes in the book provides information about "all fish," then also gives the exception.
Some fish can walk on land and fly in the air. Some fish don't look like fish. McCloskey also shares some information about some famous fish, telling readers thats some fish, "like the kind we see in cartoon movies, are hard to keep alive in a home tank." He then goes on to share the history of the gold fish and details like the fact that they can live for 25 years, remember the faces that feed them and grow to over a foot long, which McCloskey very helpfully tells readers, is almost the size of the book.
In a bonus spread at the end of the book, after the "About the Author" page, McCloskey shares some of the sign language for different kinds of fish that scuba divers use to communicate with each other!
As with all TOON Books, back matter shares information on how to read comics with kids, which can be daunting if you are new to graphic novels. They also provide a fantastic break down of the three levels of books in their collection, and how they vary - from word count to sentence length and story arc. If you are teaching a child to read, this information is INVALUABLE and not really readily available.
More Books by Kevin McCloskey!
Snails Are Just My Speed!
Source: Review Copy
