Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Bright Stanley
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Tiger Tales, 2006 ISBN: 1589250591
One morning Stanley the fish wakes up later than usual, and he finds out that all the other fish in his school are gone, and the reef is “strangely quiet.” Stanley remembers that he and the other fish are supposed swim to cooler waters for the summer today. He swims to the meeting point, but no one is there.
From the meeting point he sees a glow in the water not far away near the wreck of an old ship. Certain that he is seeing the glow of his friends, Stanley quickly swims to the wreck, but when he gets there, he discovers that the glow is not from his friends at all. Instead, it is from the coins that a lobster is counting. The lobster is a very grumpy unhelpful creature, but he does tell Stanley that some fish went by who were in “such a hurry to find someone” that they upset his stash of coins. Quickly Stanley sets off once more, not knowing that a great danger lies ahead of him.
In this engaging picture book, little children will meet a fishy character who they will easily identify with. Young readers are sure to enjoy the engaging story, the colorful illustrations, and the shiny golden fish, whose scales glitter on the pages.
