Barry the Fish With Fingers

Kindergarten-Grade 2 Slug enjoys lying on the ocean floor observing the different fish as they swim by. He takes note of their diverse sizes, shapes, and colors and figures he has seen everything until Barry arrives. Barry has fingers at the ends of his fins. He claims that his new appendages are the answer to every fish's problem. The problem, it turns out, is boredom. Barry demonstrates all of the wonderful things he can do with his fingers, such as count, knit, type, paint, and play the piano. He even saves the others' lives when he points out a heavy object that is plummeting to the sea floor, and they can scatter before it lands on them. The box, it turns out, is filled with Pirate Jack's Tasty Fish Sticks, which enable the other fish to obtain fingers like Barry's. The book's pages are filled with bright, cartoonish, gouache illustrations. Children who enjoyed Marcus Pfister's Rainbow Fish books (NorthSouth) will enjoy Barry. Donna Atmur, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review, THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, August 15, 2010:
"Hendra’s bright and cheerful undersea characters make the ocean seem like a great place to be.”

From the Hardcover edition.