Phone Call With a Fish

A story for anyone who has felt like a fish out of water 

There’s a boy in class who doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t yell when a student steps on his foot, and he writes his answers to the teacher’s questions on the board. One of his classmates is trying to understand why he’s so quiet, but she can’t figure it out. But then one day the class goes to the science museum, and she discovers a phone with an aquarium full of fish on the other end of the line. And the fish, as it turns out, aren’t silent after all—they just have their own way of communicating. 

This empathy-building story will encourage readers to approach others with compassion and understanding.

Silvia Vecchini is the author of several picture books and young adult novels, many of which were illustrated by her husband, Antonio Vincenti. Her books have been translated into many different languages, including French, Spanish, Polish, and Korean. In addition to being a writer, she enjoys conducting writing workshops for children and teens. She lives in Italy.

Sualzo (Antonio Vincenti) is a would-be saxophonist and a self-taught illustrator. Many of the books he has illustrated have been written by his wife, Silvia Vecchini, including Breathless (Tunué), which won the Boscarato Prize and Orbil Balloon Prize in 2012. Sualzo lives in Italy. Visit his website at www.sualzo.com.