  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 08/01/2017 Five happy-go-lucky goldfish friends take center stage in this energetic picture book. With lots of cool stuff (orange gravel, a pirate ship, bubbles), the fish tank is a paradise for the titular quintet. They swim, laugh at a clown fish’s jokes, ogle the angelfish, and ignore the snail, until one day Lenny gets stuck in the castle, is freed by the snail, who becomes a hero, “and the fish-tank life returns to what it always was . . . so fab.” The infectious enthusiasm of the goldfish is brought forth in the playful text, which is full of action verbs and heightened with slyly inserted words that might challenge (ornamental, exotic). Austin’s eye-popping digital illustrations handily emphasize the hubbub without clutter or chaos and imbue a fair amount of personality into the characters. The subtle lesson—don’t overlook those peripheral souls—doesn’t get in the way of the cheerfulness. Although activity in a fish tank can be fairly limited, this creative team will surely eke out more adventures for this winsome fab five. - Copyright 2017 Booklist. School Library Journal - 09/01/2017 PreS-Gr 2—Rylant has always had a fondness for animals (and the Beatles!), and here she has created a sweet story about the five "fab" fish that live in a girl's large sparkling aquarium. For the fish, every day is "heaven." They love the diver, the bubbles, and the pirate ship that decorate their tank. Bad days only occur when the little girl cleans the tank; however, after one cleaning day, they get three special surprises—two new fish (a clownfish and an angelfish) and a fairy castle. However, one of the fish immediately gets trapped in the castle, and it is up to an overlooked snail that also lives in the tank to save the day. Children will enjoy the rhyming names of the fish, the repetition (plop, plop), the multitude of exclamation marks, and the use of oversize words at critical points in the story. Austin's bright and colorful cartoons complement the bouncy text well. The original fish have expressive eyes, front fins that almost look like hands, and bright pink lips. The face of the snail, when he realizes that he can be the hero, is a wonderful blend of charming, goofy, and gross. Finally, Austin sets off scenes that take place in the tank with swirls of blue paint and bubblelike circles on the edges while using a plain white background for scenes outside of the tank. VERDICT A cheerful, engaging story, perfect for reading aloud to younger children.—Sally James, South Hillsborough Elementary School, Hillsborough, CA - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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