Sophie's Fish

K-Gr 2—After Jake agrees to babysit Sophie's fish for the weekend, he spends the afternoon concerned about this new responsibility: "I don't know anything about taking care of fish!" In an increasingly surreal series of imaginings, he worries about feeding, entertaining, and comforting his piscine guest. He is relieved when his friend informs him that he just has to feed Yo-Yo twice daily. "Babysitting Sophie's fish will be a snap!" ... but in a surprise twist, the pet turns out to be a giant, scary-looking lantern fish, perhaps not such an amiable guest after all. The rather ridiculous humor is reinforced by quirky mixed-media illustrations. Fishy details wait to be discovered by observant viewers, such as fish-shaped leaves on trees and fishily re-titled children's books. There's not much point to the story, but kids will enjoy the silliness that abounds in both text and pictures.—Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL