  | Don't eat Eustace Author: Cho, Lian | |
| Price: $23.98 | ||
Summary:
Bear lives all by himself in a towering lighthouse above the glistening seashore. When Bear gets hungry and goes to fish for his lunch, he catches a pretty startled Eustace. So what begins is one fish's highly comical and frantic plea to stay alive. Combining spoonfuls of timely interruptions and dashes of distractions, Eustace might just live to see another day with the most surprising play of all: the mighty power of friendship.
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (08/01/25)
School Library Journal (09/01/25)
Booklist (+) (00/10/25)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/10/25)
The Hornbook (00/11/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 06/30/2025 Lighthouse keeper Bear, a squat gray figure with dots for eyes, lives alone on a remote island. Having dispensed with official duties (gouache and colored pencil illustrations offer a glimpse of the lighthouse happenings via a vertically oriented cutaway), it’s time to catch lunch. Down at the shore, Bear hooks a rainbow-checkered sail along with fish Eustace, who has colorful stripes, pleading eyes, and a burning desire not to become a meal. "Please don’t eat me," Eustace pleads as Bear, having offered a perfunctory reassurance, places the fish in a soup pot. The appearance of a broken-winged heron gives Eustace a brilliant delaying tactic: Bear should make a sailcloth wing! The fish then skirts demise twice more by suggesting Bear use the remaining sailcloth to create a cozy ursine outfit and a dapper blazer for a shark who wants to be more relatable. Helping others and indulging in a little self-care feels good, so instead of fish stew, Bear opts for tomato soup-and friendship with Eustace. Via winning characterizations that pair well with offbeat, understated humor, Cho (Pig Town Party) will have readers falling hook, line, and sinker for this interspecies buddy comedy. Ages 4-8. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Oct.) - Copyright 2025
School Library Journal - 09/01/2025 K-Gr 2—What can you stitch together with a washed-up sail? A fashionable sweater, a dashing hat, a mended wing, or maybe—a new friend? Bear is quite settled in their solitary lighthouse life until one day, while fishing for dinner, they reel in a technicolor surprise: a checkerboard sail with a panicked fish named Eustace wrapped inside. As Eustace stalls Bear's culinary plans, predator and prey are visited by other seaside passersby, and using the sail, Eustace inspires Bear to embrace hidden talents for sewing and helping others while discovering that they can become fast friends. Cho's thoughtful text placement and hilarious dialogue have the makings of a new story-hour favorite. With their signature blend of colored pencil and paint, the delightful illustrations are not only seen from a distance, but can stand alone, allowing early readers to decode the story independently. A minor issue with sequencing appears near the story's end, but it is easily forgiven in exchange for a heartfelt and humorous conclusion. VERDICT A vibrantly illustrated tale of finding friendship through creativity, this book is a strong addition to picture book collections and story hour shelves.—Bill Ives - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
