Fish

Rating:
Summary: A fairly obvious Christian allegory
Review: I'm not sure why the "official" reviews of this book do not see it for what it plainly is: a fairly obvious Christian allegory wearing some trappings of realistic fiction. In a nameless land full of danger, a boy who needs to escape and move on to a better world carries a miraculous fish that seemingly changes size and appearance at will; the boy's caring for the fish at all costs helps to ensure his survival. The boy also has an extraordinary guide (known only as "the Guide") who appears in human form but quite clearly, according to one character in the book, had previously died. The Guide tells the boy that he will survive only if he completely trusts in Him. The Guide mysteriously disappears after guiding the boy (and his parents, who are aid workers) to safety.

I would have enjoyed this book more if the author had played it straight. There are relatively few books for this age group about aid workers who help people all over the world notwithstanding constant privation and danger. Kids could use more books encouraging altruism as a matter of simple human decency, and without a supernatural reward for this sort of behavior as the "hook."

Rating:
Summary: A read-aloud book for all ages.
Review: This book's greatest strengths are its sensual descriptions of the ordinary elements of our world, and the unexpected glimpses of the greater reality of human relationships.

In a narration that is always beautiful, we are allowed a gritty immersion into the flip side of our American lifestyles, those connected parts of the human and natural world from which our economic flow and "freedom" are obtained at such a cost.

A reviewer above has identified the theme as "Christian," and so it is, but I think it is just as well related to any religion, as well as the deep reality that devout Athiests pursue.

This is a wonderful book to read aloud and savor. If you can help it at all, DON'T read the jacket, for the surprise of the plot is probably very important to its unfolding. I'm giving it to all my family for Christmas this year.

Rating:
Summary: This book is a simple story about a child and a fish.
Review: Tiger is the child of humanitarian aid workers living in a country torn by famine and war. When their government asks them to evacuate the country, the family must make a difficult trek across the mountains to make their way back home.

The day they leave their village, Tiger rescues a fish that is slowly suffocating in a mud puddle. As the family can only take what belongings they can carry on their backs, Tiger's choice to carry the fish seems absurd. But as the mud puddle is quickly drying up, Tiger is worried that the fish will die.

"'All the animals here have died --- and lots of the people,'" says Tiger's father. "'One fish is just one fish after all.'"

However, Tiger's parents, and the Guide who takes them across the border, help Tiger transport the fish. First the fish is carried in a cooking pot, then in a water bottle, and eventually in Tiger's mouth. The people who they meet along the way think what Tiger is doing is strange, but they are also impressed by the compassion the child has for another living creature.

FISH is L.S. Matthews's first book. The focus and simplicity of this tale make it appealing to a broad range of readers. Tiger narrates the book. It is never clear whether Tiger is a boy or a girl. This makes it easier for the reader to identify with Tiger and perhaps also with the adventures that Tiger and the fish encounter.

This book is a simple story about a child and a fish. It is also about trying to make a difference, even if it is just in the life of one being. What Tiger does for the fish is no different from what Tiger's parents do as aid workers. Each makes a difference in the world one life at a time.

--- Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood