Edward Is Only a Fish (Redfeather Books)

Edward feels confined in Mr. Billingley's fishbowl and more than a little threatened by his fourteen cats, so imagine his delight when the bathwater is left running, the house fills with water, and Edward can go exploring.

Grade 3-4?In this absurd fantasy, Edward the fish longs for a larger space and for some excitement in his life. Thanks to his owner's carelessness, a chain of events builds to grant his wishes. The house becomes flooded with bathwater and Edward jumps from his bowl to swim around and indulge his whims. Life is almost perfect except that he misses his owner, who plans to move elsewhere since he cannot swim. The fire company attempts a bumbling rescue, but of course it is Edward who saves the day by pulling the plug in the tub. Lacking a believable foundation, this silly story quickly becomes tiresome. The humans are totally lacking in common sense, and the intended slapstick effect of their actions falls flat. Edward's situation lacks dramatic tension, and doesn't involve readers sufficiently. One black-and-white illustration accompanies each chapter. For a better steppingstone, try some of the other titles in this usually fine series. For wacky animal adventures, stick with Dick King-Smith.?Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 3-5. Playwright Sincic makes an uproarious debut as a children's author in a piece touched with comic timing and understatement. The adventure begins when Mr. Billingsly leaves the bathwater running while he steps outside to fetch a tangerine. He locks himself out, and as the water rises, Edward, a goldfish confined to a small bowl, begins the vacation he has longed for. Free to swim throughout the flooded house, Edward feasts on ice cream, bosses the toy train characters, and in a magnanimous gesture, rescues the hilariously duplicitous cats trapped on a hat rack. But after a close call with one of the cats, and realizing how much Mr. Billingsly misses him, Edward pulls the bathtub plug. He is rewarded with a huge aquarium named Lake Edward. The situation itself is funny, but it's Sincic's masterful turns of phrase and sly characterizations that give the tale the extra bite that adults can appreciate during a family read. The black-and-white illustrations have flashes of the same wry humor but overall seem a bit tame for Sincic's inventive text. Julie Yates Walton