  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 02/01/2012 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 - Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 03/15/2012 When classmate Sophie asks Jake to babysit her fish for the weekend, he agrees. After all, it’s only a fish—how hard can it be? But as Jake anticipates Yo-Yo’s arrival, doubts creep in, like what if the fish wants a snack (and what kind of snack) and what games will he want to play? Jake starts to think fish-sitting is not such a great idea, and he decides to proclaim his home a fish-free zone and hide. But when Sophie arrives and reassures him, Jake gains his confidence back. Then, in an amusing final twist, he finds a surprise waiting for him. Jake’s animated first-person narrative makes for an entertaining read, as does the design, which incorporates various fonts and sound effects. Colorful, mixed-media illustrations whimsically depict characters and scenarios, and details, like Jake’s imagined Strawberry Worm Cake (to feed Yo-Yo) and clocks with fish-shaped hands, invite scrutiny. This story sympathetically depicts a familiar problem and tackles issues related to being responsible, doing the right thing, and being a good host. - Copyright 2012 Booklist. Bulletin for the Center... - 05/01/2012 Young Jake has rashly agreed to look after the pet fish of his classmate Sophie for a weekend, an agreement he is now second-guessing: “What if Yo-Yo gets hungry and wants a snack? What kind of snack do fish like to eat?” Each increasingly outlandish “what if” leads to further anxiety, until Jake comes to a new conclusion: “When Sophie rings my doorbell, I’ll tell her to take Yo-Yo back home. No fish allowed at this house, I’ll say.” Sophie’s arrival and subsequent declaration about the ease of fish care (all he needs is to be fed twice a day) reassures Jake that “babysitting Sophie’s fish will be a snap!” The last page reveals Yo-Yo to be an enormous, spiky-toothed anglerfish, causing Jake to pause yet again: “Or not.” Bespectacled, ginger-haired Jake is a sympathetic figure, and the worrywarts among the audience will entirely understand his mounting anxiety even as they chuckle at the clever ending and at illustrator White’s amusingly rendered scenarios. White’s art combines scratchy lines of brown ink with moody washes of watercolor and clean-edged collage elements, sometimes in surprising places; the sensibility is polished yet loopy, with creative compositions and rib-tickling scenes of Jake’s imaginings. The final reveal of Yo-Yo’s true form is slyly hinted at on the next-to-last page, as viewers spot the edge of a very large fishbowl indeed in Sophie’s little red wagon. Pair this with LaReau’s Ugly Fish (BCCB 7/06) for a set of fishy stories with surprising endings, or use it as a light-hearted introduction to acquiring a class fish. JH - Copyright 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Loading...
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