Goldfish on Vacation
By:
Illustrator: Leo Espinosa
This humorous tale is based on an amazing-but-true story about the summer a city fountain was used as a goldfish pond. Author’s note. Full-color illustrations were rendered in pencil and Photoshop.
ISBN: 9780385386128
JLG Release: May 2018
Sensitive Areas:
No sensitive areas
Topics:
Family life
, Grandfathers
, Goldfish
, Vacations
, Fountains
, City life
, Neighbors and neighborhoods
Awards & Honors
CCBC Choices 2019 Choice: Picture Books for School-Age Children
Praise & Reviews
Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:
Booklist, The Horn Book Magazine, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal
School Library Journal
This satisfying tale, based on true events, is about three children, three goldfish, and their summer adventures. An unused fountain in New York City, which had been neglected for many years, is suddenly cleared of garbage and spruced up. One June day, the children see a posted sign: “Coming in Two Weeks! Calling All Goldfish Looking for a Su This satisfying tale, based on true events, is about three children, three goldfish, and their summer adventures. An unused fountain in New York City, which had been neglected for many years, is suddenly cleared of garbage and spruced up. One June day, the children see a posted sign: “Coming in Two Weeks! Calling All Goldfish Looking for a Summer Home.“ The fountain is now ready to offer goldfish, donated temporarily by neighborhood children, a chance to enjoy a vacation, to mingle with their own kind, and swim outside the confines of a fish bowl. The three youngsters—H., Little O, and Baby Em—with assistance from a volunteer overseeing the project, deposit their fish—Barracuda, Patch, and Fiss—in the fountain as do other “goldfish parents.“ What had been an area eyesore becomes a place for neighbors to gather and children to play while visiting their pets. The illustrations, done in pencil and Adobe Photoshop, have a clean, uncluttered appeal with plenty of white space as background. VERDICT This cheerful and charming tale is a great selection for one-on-one sharing and for vacation-themed storytime.—Maryann H. Owen, Oak Creek Public Library WI
Horn Book
Three city-dwelling siblings, goldfish owners, feel sad for the derelict, once-magnificent
fountain at the end of their street. Then a sign appears on the fountain:
“COMING IN TWO WEEKS! CALLING ALL GOLDFISH LOOKING FOR A
SUMMER HOME.” Day by day, the children and their grandfather watch as a
park worker cleans up the fountain, turning Three city-dwelling siblings, goldfish owners, feel sad for the derelict, once-magnificent
fountain at the end of their street. Then a sign appears on the fountain:
“COMING IN TWO WEEKS! CALLING ALL GOLDFISH LOOKING FOR A
SUMMER HOME.” Day by day, the children and their grandfather watch as a
park worker cleans up the fountain, turning it back into something beautiful and
functional. When it is ready, the children, along with others in the community,
bring their goldfish and plop them in. Lloyd-Jones’s straightforward telling of this
amiable story is amplified by Espinosa’s bright illustrations, which bring a sense
of joy to every page. Both text and art hew to the young protagonists’ perspective
as they look out their window at the fountain, listen to Grandpa tell stories, and
finally join neighbors of all ages and races to bring their goldfish outside for their
summer vacation. Of particular delight is the double-page spread that appears at
this point in the narrative, showing the gleeful goldfish in their new environment.
In an author’s note, Lloyd-Jones tells of the true event that inspired the story.
monica edinger
Book Details
ISBN
9780385386128
First Release
May 2018
Genre
Fic
Dewey Classification
Trim Size
11" x 8 1/2"
Page Count
40
Accelerated Reader
Level 4.1; Points: 0.5;
Scholastic Reading Counts
Level 0; Points: 0;
Lexile
Level AD640L
Format
Print Book
Edition
Library edition
Publisher
Schwartz & Wade
Potentially Sensitive Areas
No sensitive areas
Topics
Family life, Grandfathers, Goldfish, Vacations, Fountains, City life, Neighbors and neighborhoods,
