Dory Story

March 1, 2000
K-Gr 2-The inviting cover features a life-jacketed boy standing in a red dory surrounded by a summer-blue sky and deep-blue sea, encircled by ominous dorsal fins. Disobeying parental admonitions to never go out in the boat alone, the narrator rows out into the peaceful bay to learn more about ocean life. What follows is an account of the aquatic food web. The child observes killer whales eating tuna eating bluefish eating mackerels eating sand lances eating shrimp eating plankton. When he spies the killer whales, he fears he may soon be part of the food chain himself. A fleeing tuna capsizes the dory, and the boy heroically swims through the ravenous sea. As he reaches a rock, the narrative is interrupted by his mother's voice. The last spread shows him safe and sound in a bubble bath with toy dory and fish in hand. "Danny, you tell the best stories when you're in the bathtub! You should write a book." Clever as Pallotta's idea is, the textual flow does not succeed as well as the luminous acrylic paintings do. Biedrzycki's striking art will guarantee this book an audience. The representational style with its pleasing variety of perspectives has a decided edge toward the surreal. Children are sure to lust after their own red dories.-Sue Sherif, Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Library, AK

Copyright 2000 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 1, 2000
%% This is a multi-book review. SEE the title "Fish Wish" for next imprint and review text. %%Ages 4^-9. When Danny discovers some bioluminescent plankton, his imagination is fired. So he takes out the family dory and heads for the bay to learn about ocean life. Danny discovers krill eating plankton, eels eating krill, mackerels eating eels, bluefish eating mackerels, tuna eating bluefish, and huge orcas eating tuna! Finally, a humpback whale (a plankton feeder) breaches near Danny, bringing the food web full circle. When a passing orca swamps the dory, Danny must swim hard for safety. Will he become part of the food web? Suddenly, he hears his mother's voice--and we learn that the whole adventure has been one big fish story, enacted by Danny from the safety of his bathtub. Pallotta's kid-friendly narration carries readers neatly through events that are both exciting and informative. Biedrzycki's beautifully rendered spreads contribute mightily to the book's strength. His sea creatures are exquisitely drafted in colors that turn from bright and friendly to deep and ominous. There is almost a photographic reality to the art, with young Danny looking especially true to life. A book that captures the sense of adventure, awe, and danger that the ocean inspires while presenting a solid bit of marine ecology. ((Reviewed February 1, 2000))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)