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PICTURE BOOKS
Sharpson, Neil

Don't Trust Fish

40 pp. | Dial | April, 2025 | Trade ISBN 9780593616673 $18.99 | Ebook ISBN 9780593616680 $10.99
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Dan Santat. At the start, this picture book feels like a straightforward primer in both text and illustrations: this animal is a mammal because of these characteristics; this animal is a reptile because of these. But soon, something...fishy?...starts to happen: opinions creep in. Fish “don’t follow any rules,” making them harder to categorize—some live in salt water and some in fresh water, some eat seaweed, some eat other fish...and “some fish eat poor, innocent crabs who are just trying to have a nice time in the sea.” The lesson gets kookier (fish are accused of spying via toilets) and turns more and more toward fearmongering (“What are they learning in these ‘schools’? We have a right to know”), while the mixed-media art expands from staid vignettes to cartoonish full-bleed illustrations with varied perspectives and palettes, seemingly bouncing around with the mood of whoever is speaking. And who is speaking? By the time the answer is revealed, readers and listeners may have guessed—but along the way, they’ll have found some giggles, maybe a little fish information, and some food for thought about considering the source.
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

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